


Meeting of the Dark and the Beautiful

by Lanceisthebest



Series: Dark and Beautiful [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Camp Half-Blood, Charmspeak, Confessions, Demigods, Fear of love, Keith is a son of... Read and find out, Lance is a son of Aphrodite, M/M, Mutual Pining, Mutual Support, Near Death Experiences, Original Character(s), Parental Issues, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Rivalry, Secrets, Sharpshooter Lance, Stereotype, Swordsman Lance, demigod - Freeform, fighter keith, he misses his family, he was on his own for seven years, keith has lots of secrets, lance has been at camp for four years, slowburn, super slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2018-12-17 13:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 107,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11852385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lanceisthebest/pseuds/Lanceisthebest
Summary: Keith has secrets. He's been on his own for seven years, made possible by a goddesses guidance after Keith's father abandoned him. Her most recent advice: find Camp Half Blood. After descovering a home at camp, it soon turns sour when his godly parent is revealed, and everything changes.Lance is troubled. Running away from home to protect his large family, he's been at Camp Half Blood for four years. He's proven himself as a powerful demigod, but he's still not taken seriously. Why? His mother. With homesickness and a need to prove himself both stinging his mind, he feels stuck.Camp Half Blood has a dire threat facing them, which could spiral and effect the whole world. Lance and Keith, a pair with a rocky relationship go on a dangerous quest in hopes to save their home before it's too late. As they fight together, their relationship transforms and so do they.





	1. The Desicion he Needs to Make

**Author's Note:**

> This story consists of voltron characters in the pjo/hoo universe. Although they are mentioned, the characters of pjo/hoo will not be in this fic.
> 
> Even though this is being written chapter by chapter, every inch of the story has been planned out. If something is unclear in one chapter, know that it will come up again later in the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!! I've been working super hard on this project and I'm so exited to finally be posting it. This is for all the Percy Jackson and Voltron fans who want to see these two universes brought together. 
> 
> I know the first chapter is long, but stick around till the end, it gets pretty cool ;)

\--Keith's P.O.V: 

Usually, keith could manage himself just fine. Hell, he’s been doing it all his life. But right now, with the ugly snake lady closing in on him fast, he would give anything for a bit of help. 

The lady, a gorgon, had been after keith for a day now. How she kept finding him, He didn’t know. It shouldn't have been possible, but there she was. A large snake tail was where her legs should have been. The top part of her body was relatively human looking if you ignored the pale green scales that covered her skin and the bull horns that sprouted out from her long, tangled, black hair. 

Luckily for keith, she wasn’t the fastest monster he’s ever faced, but what made up for that was her strength. She had pummeled keith with her tail more times than he could count, making him fly back and hit the ground with a hard thud. He was pretty sure he had a few broken ribs, but that wasn’t enough to stop him. What was enough to stop him, however, was the fact that he had been on the run from her for a full day. His legs were jelly, his lungs were burning. He would fully run out of energy soon enough.

“You can’t run forever!” The gorgon hissed in a voice that sounded like a cartoon witch from a children's tv program. 

“You think i don’t know that?” Keith mumbled back, one arm against his rib cage and the other wielding a dagger. 

He audibly gasped once he saw the thing he was looking for. A tree. Not only a tree, but a pine tree, the one the goddess had told him about. Keith got so distracted by it, that he forgot about the gorgon behind him. Unfortunately, he was painfully reminded of it when he felt five sharp claws rake themselves down his back. 

With a deep grunt of agony, he turned around to see gorgon smiling with her arm held up and blood upon her claw like fingernails. Keith noticed something else on them, too. A sticky, green liquid mixed in with the rich blood. Shit. poison.

As soon as keith realized what it was he started to feel dizzy. Anger bubbled in his mind. He was so close to whatever safe haven the goddess promised him, just to be taken down by a snake lady. Thinking ‘what the hell?’ he charged the gorgon with his knife at the ready. He was about to pass out from blood loss, poison, and exhaustion, plus the pain of the broken ribs, but he ran forward anyway. It was a stupid idea, but when has that stopped keith before? 

At least he had the upper hand by surprising the gorgon, who wasn’t suspecting the attack. Keith slashed at her scaly torso, but she moved away once she realized what was going on. Keith cut her, but it wasn’t deep or fatal enough. He still took pleasure in hearing her hiss in pain. 

She swung around her tail to hit keith but he sidestepped. He tried to thrust his knife into the tail but he wasn’t fast enough. Keith wished he could do what he had done to that flock of harpies in upstate new york, but he knew he was too exhausted and unfocused to even attempt it. 

The gorgon slithered forward and tried to impale keith with her horns, which was not a smart move on her part. Keith grabbed a horn and spun around on it, landing on her back. His legs straddled her waist at where the snake tail turned into a human torso. She hissed and tried to reach behind herself to claw at keith, but he knicked at her hands with his knife, making her pull them back. 

Keith was aware of the blood oozing from his back, and his world was starting to spin even more as the poison spread through his body. It was now or never. The gorgon did what he expected and flicked her tail up to try and hit keith, but when the tail was a few inches away, he thrust his knife deep into it. She hissed, but it wasn’t enough. Keith dragged the knife up, cutting deep along her entire tail until the knife was right below where he straddled, ultimately cutting her tail in half. 

He’d like to say he heroically jumped off the gorgons back and watched her die with his hand on his hip and a proud smile on his face. Instead, he sloppily fell off her back and crawled away from her grasp while groaning in pain. He lay on the ground, panting as the gorgon’s shrieks ended and she exploded into dust. 

Keiths back was hot with pain, and his entire body felt numb. If he could just close his eyes and take a nap… no. He was this close to whatever promise land he was told about. He traveled so long to get here. A bit of poison wasn’t going to stop him. 

With difficulty, keith managed to prop himself up on his knees, then he stood up. One step. Two steps. Three steps. He slowly made his way to the tree, his surroundings spinning and his head throbbing. He looked down from the hill he stood at and saw a Big House with vines growing up its sides. It looked cozy enough. He made his way there. 

Keith could see the sky start to lighten as night turned to day. He didn’t realize how late it had gotten. It must be about five AM. He also realized at that moment that he hasn’t eaten in almost two days. He’d kill for a burger.

That was his last thought as he succumbed to the dizziness and fell over onto the grass. The house was so close, but he couldn’t will his body to move. He was too tired, he was too hurt. By the time someone from that house would find him, it would be too late. If he had only made it a bit farther…

“What the hell?” Keith heard, only slightly conscious. He heard footsteps rapidly make their way towards him until he saw someone kneel next to him. He couldn’t see the person's face, but he saw their clothes. Jeans, a grey cardigan, and an orange shirt that read ‘Camp Halfblood’. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” The guy said with panic lacing through his words. “Just hold on, you’ll be okay. Hold on!”

Keith didn’t know why, but all the sudden he had new found motivation. He wanted to hold on to life. He was going to be okay, he was sure of it. Even with this motivation, his body had a different idea, however. The last thing he felt before passing out was this mystery guy putting his hands under Keith's back, picking him up, and struggling to walk to the house Keith almost made it to.  
_____________

Of course he had a dream. He always had dreams. This one was just recounting an old memory of keiths. It wasn’t exactly something he liked to remember, though.

“It’s time to go,” Keith's dad had said. The scar on his eyebrow seemed to glow under the stars and moonlight. “Keith, you can’t stay any longer.”

He had only been ten years old at the time. The broken tone of his dad's voice scared him, it was clear in his young eyes. Keith couldn’t remember how they got there, but it was just him and his dad. They were in the woods where the trees were so thick and tall they couldn’t see where they ended or began. Owls hooted from the trees, keith was vaguely aware of fireflies blinking periodically. 

“Why not?” Keith asked in his young voice. 

“If i explain, you’ll only be in more danger,” Keith's dad answered. He was kneeling down to keith's level. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this, but i don’t have a choice. You have to find your own way. You’re strong, you’ll make it.”

“What about you? Where are you going?” keith remembered the tears that stung his eyes in the cold winter air. 

His dad sighed. It was clear he wanted to tell keith more, but he didn’t. “It doesn’t matter. But i won’t see you for a really long time, kiddo. Take these.” he placed two things into keith's small hands: A gold, long knife and a glowing necklace. “These will keep you protected and keep you hidden. I’m also going to send someone to check in on you and guide you every once in awhile.”

“But i don’t want to leave!” Tears rolled down his young face. Even though he was listening to his dad, the only words he was focusing on where ‘you can’t stay any longer.’

“I know you don’t. I don’t want to leave either, but you have to trust me when i say i'm doing this for your own good. I know you’ll be mad at me for this, you’re allowed to. Just hear me out when i say ‘I have no choice.’” His skin was pale in the night. His face was pained, tears threatened to spill down his cheeks. It’s always a surreal sight to see a parent cry, it doesn’t seem right. “Push on, don’t trust anyone, you’ll make it.” He brought his thumb up to wipe away the tears on his son's face. “I can’t stay any longer. I love you.”

And with that, he stood up and walked away, which turned into a run. He dodged trees and darted away faster than keith, who was chasing his dad with fresh tears spilling down his face.

“Dad!” Keith called. It echoed through the thick trees. He didn’t know how long he searched, but he couldn’t find his dad anywhere. He was gone, and keith was alone. He was trembling with fear. He was a child, left in the dark and cold woods, of course he was scared. 

Reluctantly, young keith put on the necklace that was still in his hands and attached the knife and its holder onto his belt. Sniffling and crying, keith walked on to find a way out of the woods and to find his own way in the world, like his dad told him to… 

The dream ended there and he woke up, to keith's relief. He was in a comfortable bed with lots of blankets, something he hadn’t had the pleasure to sleep in for a long time. He was shirtless and aware of a tight bandage around his torso to cover the claw marks on his back. 

Near the bed he lay in was a man in a wheelchair with a blanket covering his legs. He had a thick brown beard to match the long brown hair on his head. Weirdly, there was a bow slung around the back of his wheelchair. 

Across from him was the boy that keith saw on the hill, the one who had carried him to that big house, he guessed that's where he was right now. He was leaning against the same wall keith's bed was pressed against. His hand was on his hip and one of his ankles was crossed over the other one, so he was standing on only one foot while the toes of the other were lightly touching the floor. He was still in the same clothes but his arms and torso were covered in blood, keith's blood. 

Keith could see the guys face now and… woah. He’d later try to deny the fact that he thought this, but the guy was seriously attractive. Brown bangs laid perfectly on his head against smooth, caramel skin. His features were sharp but handsome. Even with the dark bags under his deep blue eyes, his eyes were still mesmerising and piercing. 

“Mr. McClain,” The wheelchair guy began with an old timey sounding voice. Keith closed his eyes slightly and pretended to sleep. “can you tell me why you were up and awake in the first place?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” the boy responded with a slight new york accent. “I was gonna go down to the pegasi stables but i heard some hissing and stuff near Thalia's tree, so i walked over there, and it was a good thing i did. This guy was passed out on the hill and looked pretty hurt so i brought him here.” The guy jabbed his thumb in keith's direction when he mentioned him. “What attacked him?”

“I went up to the hill and found these.” He showed the boy three long claws that were on his blanket covered lap. “Gorgon claws.”

“No way. This kid fought and killed a gorgon by himself?”

“It appears so.”

“If he was able to get into camp, he's a demigod. How has a demigod managed to survive on his own for… however old he is? Could he be from camp jupiter?”

“I know as much as you do, my boy. We’ll have to wait until he wakes up to question him.”

The boy didn’t give up and he continued on with his questions. “He had a knife and necklace, what do they mean?”

The man in the wheelchair moved to the nightstand next to Keith's bed. He reached his hand over to touch the necklace someone had taken off keith and placed on the stand. Not being able to stop himself, keith sat up and yelled “Don’t touch that!” out of instinct. He groaned in pain at the sudden movement. 

Both of them jumped, surprised at keith's sudden awaken, but the man in the wheelchair quickly recovered. “I apologise,” he said as he retracted the arm that was about to grab the necklace. “My name is Chiron. You’re safe at Camp Halfblood, may i ask who you are and how you got here?”

“I’m Keith, Keith Kogane. I was… told to come here and look for a pine tree,” He told them, not keen on telling the whole story to these strangers. “Where am i? What’s ‘Camp Half Blood’?”

The boy in the cardigan took a step forward. “So you know about Thalia's tree but you don’t know what this place is?” 

“Yeah, i guess.” 

“Have you been by yourself all this time?” Chiron asked.

“More or less, yeah.” Keith tried to move his legs off the bed only to be met by pain. He grunted and stars danced in his eyes.

The boy grabbed a plate off a nearby table and handed it to keith. “Here, eat some of this. It’ll make you feel better.”

Keith immediately identified it as ambrosia and stuffed a few squares into his mouth happily. He could have moaned from how good it tasted. This time it tasted like his dad's homemade soup, which made him feel slightly bitter after remembering the dream he just had. He hated reliving that memory. 

Chiron spoke up as keith chewed. “I’d take you to watch the introductory video-”

“It’s really good. I helped apollo direct it. He told me i have ‘good taste’ and-”

“Lance,” chiron scholded. 

“Sorry.” The smirk lance had on his face showed that he was not sorry.

“Like i was saying… I’d take you to watch the introductory video, but perhaps it will be better i explained everything personally.” Lance let out a noise of disappointment. “I’m sure you’ve been through alot, and this might come as a surprise… but the gods, the greek gods-”

“Are real, and i’m one of their children?” Keith finished. 

Chiron looked taken back, but quickly recovered and stroked his thick beard. “Precisely. How did you know?”

“I’ve been on my own for a long time, and i’ve faced a lot of monsters. A lot called me ‘demigod scum’ and told me that ‘the gods weren’t coming to my aid’ so i kinda put two and two together.” keith also thought about the goddess who’s been helping and watching over him since he was ten years old, but of course he didn’t mention her. 

“Smart guy,” lance said with a wink. Keith had to try really hard not to blush. 

“How long have you been on your own?” Chiron asked.

Keith didn’t like all the questions. His dad's old advice rang in his head, ‘Don’t trust anyone.’ These people seemed friendly enough though, and why would keith listen to the advice of someone who abandoned him? “About seven years.” 

Both lances and chiron's jaw dropped. “Seven years!?” Lance repeated. “How?”

“It’s that necklace, isn’t it?” Chiron asked. “The orange glow in it is a part of hestia’s fire.”

Keiths heart fell. How did chiron know that? They were too close to the truth. Maybe his dad was right, he shouldn’t trust these people. At least not with the information of his past. “Yeah, I killed a cyclops in Virginia and it dropped this,” Keith lied. 

“What’s so special about that necklace?” Lance asked. His arms were crossed, but he seemed to forget that they were completely doused in keith's blood. 

“May i?” Chiron asked keith, his hand hovering above the necklace. Reluctantly, keith nodded. “I’ve only seen something like this a few times in my life. The flame of hestia creates an aura of safety and comfort. It can drive monsters off a demigods scent. Of course, monsters can still find you, but it makes it less likely for them to trace you.”

Keith nodded. “I’d be long dead if it wasn’t for that necklace.” He looked over to see lance's eyes glued to the chain and glowing pendant in chiron’s hands. He looked… almost angry. It unnerved keith. 

“And you said you got this off a cyclops?” Chiron said. He held keith's eye firmly, not lookings away. 

“Yeah.” Their eye contact lingered, and keith's stomach churned as he wondered if he knew he was lying, but he didn’t look away. Chiron averted his eyes first. 

Lance finally pried his eyes off the necklace that chiron poured back into keith's hand. “So, keithy boy-” 

“Don’t call me that.”

“I personally saved your life by carrying you into this house and i don’t get to call you ‘keithy boy’?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Your blood is all over my favorite cardigan i think that allows me to use nickna-”

“Lance,” Chiron scolded for the second time.

Lance gave an annoyed sigh. “I was going to ask you, do you know who your godly parent is?”

Keith stared in front of him, not meeting the others eyes. The question was reasonable, but he couldn’t help being angry at it. He’d been alone for so long, struggling and traveling with no one to trust in. His dad abandoned him when he was ten years old, and his mother, whichever god she was, decided to never once show her face. She never even gave as much as a sign. Keith couldn’t help but be bitter. He gave the two people in front of him a simplified answer of his inner monologue and said “no, but my dad is mortal.” Chiron and Lance looked a bit troubled by his answer, but they didn’t say anything. 

“I’m sure you have lots of questions for us as well, but i think we’ve tired you out enough for now,” Chiron said. “You still have a lot of poison in your system plus those deep scratches and what we think are broken ribs. Ambrosia and nectar will help but you still need rest.”

On the word ‘rest’, keith realized how tired he was. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep but surely a few more hours couldn’t hurt. He nodded to chiron, put his necklace back around his neck, and relaxed against the warm bed. 

“Lance, may i talk with you outside?” Chiron asked.

“Do i have a choice?”

“No.”

“In that case, lead the way!” Before leaving the room, lance turned to keith. “Sweet dreams, keithy boy.” Then he followed chiron and shut the door behind him. 

Keith didn’t know what to think of lance. He certainly was annoying, but in a weirdly enticing way. Only time could tell what his relationship with the guy would be.

He relaxed deeper into the comfortable bed and closed his eyes.

\--Lance's P.O.V: 

“There’s something off here, isn’t there?” Lance asked chiron once they were outside and standing in front of the Big House.

“I believe so, yes,” he said while he stroked his beard. Lance wanted a beard. Hmph.

“This dude looks around my age, seventeen, eighteen? Way older than thirteen, so why hasn’t he been claimed? The last time that happened was with the whole roman/greek god split personality dilemma, do you think something like that is happening again?”

“I don’t think so. I believe Keith's mother has a personal reason for not claiming him, maybe she broke a rule of some kind and claiming keith would get her in trouble. I’d say he was a child of the big three and his father was trying to avoid a squabble with his brothers, but keith said his father was mortal.”

“He could have been lying,” Lance said. His arms were still drenched with dry blood, as was the front of his shirt. 

“It’s a possibility, but he seemed pretty confident in his answer. If his godly parent is his mom, maybe she broke her oath of being a maiden. Or perhaps she cheated on her spouse.”

“Drama Alert!” Lance said enthusiastically. 

“Yes, well this ‘drama’ could start a war between the gods,” Chiron pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, so not the fun kind of drama,” Lance pouted. “Back to that keith guy, are you going to do anything?”

“There isn’t anything i could do. We can only wait to see if whoever his parent is will claim him.”

Even though Keith was undoubtedly handsome and Lance could tell he’d have a lot of fun annoying him, the guy seemed to have a lot of secrets. He seemed guarded and hard to break, but that's standard for someone who has been alone in a monster filled world for seven years. He decided to vocalize his concerns. 

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” He told chiron. “He said that he was ‘told to look for a pine tree’ but by who? And he didn’t even know where he was, so why would he look for the tree? Also, He seems a bit too knowledgeable for just putting ‘two and two together’ from what monsters were saying. i think he had some other kind of information source. And there’s like a billion more things. Do you really think we can trust this guy?”

Chiron inhaled and tapped his fingers on the side of his fake wheelchair. “We can’t say for sure, but i just think he’s been through a lot and isn’t going to share everything right away. I do think he is trustworthy, though.”

Lance inhaled and gave chiron a serious look. “I trust your judgement. One more thing… From the look of keith, he probably was running away from that gorgon for a long time, but you said that necklace would prevent that. Does that mean hestia’s flame is flickering there as well?”

“I… belive so.”

“That ain’t good.”

“Yes, i think that summarizes the situation, ‘that ain't good’,” chiron said with a slight smile despite the serious topic.

“What can i say, i’ve got a way with words.”

Chiron looked at lance for a few seconds, a twinkle in his eyes. “You’ve grown a lot since you first arrived here, lance. I know it’s been hard for you, being away from your family for so many years, but you’ve really proven yourself at this camp.”

Lances spirits dropped, despite being complimented by someone he saw as a father figure during his residency here. But the remainder of his family made his insides ache. Not only that, but what chiron said at the end caused bitterness to rise up in his throat. “‘I've really proven myself at this camp’? You seem to be the only one who thinks that.”

“That’s not true, the campers here respect you.”

Lance could have spent all day arguing against that, and with a tired mind, he was scared he would do exactly that. Instead, he changed the subject quickly. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ve got some chores to do and, uh, showers to take,” he said while wiggling his blood covered fingers. “I’ll check in on keith soon, though, alright?”

Chiron took a deep breath. “Okay, go ahead, but you’ve been up for a long time. You should rest and i can look after keith.”

“It’s fine,” Lance assured him. “Sleeping is overrated. Besides, staring at a cute, shirtless, sleeping guy for a few hours isn’t the worst way to spend my time.”

“Lance,” Chiron scolded again. 

“You have said my name in a disappointed tone three times in one hour. I wonder if we are going to break a record today. I think the standing record is twenty three ‘lance’s in one day,” he said with a proud smirk on his face as chiron tried and failed to hide a smile. 

“Tomorrow you can give keith a tour of the camp, but for now get your chores done and get some rest.”

“Fine,” lance grumbled.

`The day went on somewhat uneventfully. Lance did his chores (today he had to retrieve all the arrows out of the targets at the archery range, which left his fingers sore and slightly cut up) and took a shower to get unbloodified. He felt refreshed and productive, but the fact that he hadn’t slept at all last night was starting to catch up with him. Still, he wasn’t ready to go to sleep again after the dream from the night before. 

That's what he hated about being a demigod, the vivid dreams that usually had some weird message hidden in them. Most recently, he dreamt about his family. They had been yelling at him for leaving them, accusing him of not loving them enough. But then in the next scene of the dream, he saw them all dead in gruesome ways, even his young nieces and nephews. After seeing his seven year old niece, bleeding and lifeless on the floor, he wasn’t too keen on going back to sleep. Lance borrowed some eye cream to cover his bags and pushed on through the rest of the day. 

Lance got everything done quickly and dinner was soon, so he met up with his best friend hunk, who had finished his chores as well. “Heard about what happened this morning?” he asked him. They sat on a patch of grass by the camp lake.

“No, i was just gonna ask you that. Where have you been?” 

“Some guy, like seventeen years old, maybe older, got attacked by and then killed a gorgon. I was making my way to the stables at like five AM when i heard noises, i go over, and the guy is almost passed out on the hill from blood loss, poison, and pure exhaustion.” 

“Woah, sounds bad,” Hunk said as he skipped a stone across the water. 

“That’s not all. Me and chiron talked to this guy, keith, and apparently he’s been on his own for like seven years.”

Hunks jaw dropped the same way lance and chiron's did. “You have to be joking.”

“I swear on your homemade brownies that i'm serious. The guy also doesn’t know who his godly parent is, which is weird since he's way over thirteen years old.” Lance tried to follow Hunks lead and skip a stone, but it just plopped into the river. “He says his dad’s mortal. Of course chiron has his theories, none of them good.”

“Jeez,” hunk said with wide eyes. “A lot of stuff happens when you’re sleeping. And why were you up at five AM?”

Lance sighed. “Bad dream. What’s new?”

Hunk gave out a small laugh. “I’m no stranger to those. Wanna talk about it?”

“No offense, big guy, but talking about it is the last thing i wanna do right now.”

“I get it,” he said. “What’s that Keith guy like?”

Lance let go another stone, this one jumped across the water a few skips. “Distant, brooding, withholding, pretty hot. He’s just my type!”

“Everyone's your type.”

“Exactly,” He said with a small laugh. “But seriously, he gives off kind of a… weird vibe. I think he’s hiding something important. Chiron trusts him and i trust chiron, but i don’t know.”

“I guess only time will tell.”

“That’s what chiron said, too. I mean, i could go in there and hit Keith with a bit of interrogation action. A few words and boom, he’s telling me all his secrets.”

Hunk smiled a bit. “Doesn't your charmspeak only work when the person is attracted to you?”

“No, it just stronger if they are. But literally everyone is attracted to me so that’s not a problem.”

“Dude, try charmspeaking me,” Hunk said with a gasp and a snap of his fingers as if he just came up with the best idea in the world. 

With a small snort of laughter Lance asked, “why?”

“I wanna see if i can fight it.”

“Whatever you say, dude.” Lance took a deep breath in and mustered all of his charm and energy into his words. “Hunk, go walk into the lake, it’s nice and cold. You want to walk into the lake, don’t you?”

Lance watched happily as hunks eyes glazed over. “Yeah, i think i'm gonna walk into the lake,” Hunk repeated dreamily. He walked over to the lake and was about step in, but his foot dangled in the hair. After a few seconds of standing there, hunk turned around with his eyes clear. “Ha ha! I win!”

“It wasn't a competition,” Lance said glumly. 

Hunk walked back over to where he was sitting and plopped down, obviously looking pleased with himself. “I still won.”

“Whatever,” lance said with his arms folded defensively. “You’ve known me for too long to be attracted to me. I bet i could get one of the other campers to give me Ten dollars at dinner tonight.”

Right on cue, the dinner bells sound across the camp. Hunk got up and looked back at lance when he didn’t follow. “You coming?”

“Yeah, i'll be there in a sec.” 

Hunk looked like he wanted to argue, but he turned around and walked towards the dinning pavilion anyway.

Lance found himself staring out at the water. He couldn’t help but think about the events of the day. Weirdly, the bleeding, mysterious guy wasn’t the first thing that popped into his head. It was chiron. “You’ve really proven yourself at this camp,” he had said, and lance knew that he has. He arrived at this camp all those years ago, scared, untrained, bitter at being ripped away from his family for something he couldn’t help. Now he was one of the most skilled fighters in the camp, he excelled at healing, and he had mastered his charmspeak. He wish he could say he took on these skills for the pure reason of survival, but that’s not true. It was so he could prove himself, despite what others thought. 

He knew what the other campers thought about him and his siblings. “They won't even pick up a sword ‘cause they’re too scared they’d chip a nail,” lance heard an ares kid say once with a snicker in their voice. That comment alone made him practice sword fighting non stop until he rose in the ranks and could beat almost anyone in a match. Still, out of all the fighting instructors, lance was the most ignored. Kids would only as him for help if the other classes were full. Chiron tried to convince him that it was just because he was the youngest, but lance knew better. They didn’t respect him. They’d easily chose a big ares kid or a strategic athena kid over lance, and he knew it. It stung. 

Eventually he had tried to just take advantage of the things he couldn’t change, and he mastered his charmspeak. It was no doubt strong and it was a skill lance valued more than some of his other talents, but he sometimes found himself wondering if it was something to be proud of. Hell, all he would do is talk and he’d get what he wanted. It was something he was born with, he was just lucky. Lances failure to charm hunk got under his skin more than he’d admit. A small part of his head was trying to convince the rest of lance that Hunk wasn’t attracted to him and that he had knew the charmspeak was coming so he was prepared for it, but the rest of his head couldn't help wonder if it was because he simply wasn’t strong enough. 

Lance sighed and fluttered his eyelids a few times, realizing that he had been staring at the horizon without blinking. While he twisted blades of grass around his fingers, his mind drifted off to his family. He missed them. He remembered every single word he wrote in that letter to them, and he remembered sitting in his dark bedroom and folding the paper in half. He remembered how the floorboards creaked under him as he tried to tiptoe around the house. He put the letter on the kitchen table where someone would notice it and had a backpack slung over his back. 

Most painfully, he remembered how he hesitated at the door. He counted five, six, seven, eight seconds where he looked back at the house, at the fridge with the countless crayon drawings from his niece, at the step he had tripped and broken his arm on a few years back, at the stained dining table he’d eaten so many family meals at. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve seconds, and then he left. 

Lance physically shook his head as if it would get the thoughts out of his mind. He tried not to think of his family if he could help it. It made his time away from them easier and slightly more bearable. Of course, that was hard to do with the recurring dreams of his family dying. He much more enjoyed that one dream he had where he punched ben affleck in the face and then got a movie deal because of it. Ah. 

The scent of the feast had finally caught up with lance and his stomach rumbled. Throwing the grass blade he was rolling between his fingers aside, he stood up and walked towards the smell of burnt offerings and the sound of chit chat. 

The good atmosphere and warm food helped lance take his mind off all the events of today, which he was grateful for. By the end of the lively diner, he could feel his eyes start to droop as a consequence for staying up for twenty four hours straight. He was on dinner dishwashing duty with some of his cabin mates, and the burning lava they doused the plates in certainly kept lance awake for a little longer. 

By the time they got back to their cabin, everyone else was already asleep. Lance didn’t bother change into pajamas and just hopped into his bunk bed. He wished his brothers and sisters sweet dreams and relaxed against the fluffy pillows that lined his bed. 

“Good night, Aphrodite cabin,” He said finally. Then he closed his eyes and let sleep wash over him.  
__________________

The next morning, Lance made his way over to the big house on Chiron's orders. He walked with a bit of pep in his step at the joy of a surprisingly dreamless sleep. One of his cabin mates also managed to get the blood out of his cardigan, but that’s less important than the sleep thing. Well… is it? He really likes that cardigan. Today he wore a pair of acid washed, 80’s high waisted jeans with his orange ‘CHB’ shirt tucked in.

Lance entered the room loudly. “Keithy boy!” He exclaimed, “Rise and shine!” He found some joy in the disgruntled groans from the boy he had annoyingly awoken. 

“Didn’t i tell you not to call me ‘Keithy boy’?” Keith grunted as he rubbed his eyes. 

“Did you?” Lance lied. “How’re you feeling?”

“Fine, i guess.”

“Dude, you got clawed and poisoned by a gorgon, you don’t feel ‘fine’.”

“Whatever. What are you doing?” Keith asked as lance walked closer to the bed with a tray of medical supplies he picked up from a nearby cart.

“Changing your gross bandages.” 

“You don’t need to,” Keith told him, his purple eyes slightly squinted from distrust. Lance tried not to take it personally, but he was a little insulted.

Lance crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “If i don’t change your bandages you’re gonna get infected and die and you’re gonna smell all gross. Do you want that?” 

“I can change them myself-”

“Just let me change your stupid bandages.” Lance watched as keith's eyes glossed over. Charmspeak. Oops, he didn’t mean to do that. 

“Yeah, okay. You can change my stupid bandages,” Keith repeated back. Lance had to try not to laugh. 

Keith got up and sat on the edge of the bed as lance sat behind him with the medical tray. He unwrapped the bandage and took off the gauze. After putting on a fresh pair of gloves he cleaned the wound with saline water and replaced the gauze. Keith was still sitting with his eyes unfocused and his hands unmoving in his lap.

Lance couldn’t help but appreciate the guys body. His skin was pale and covered in lots of scars, do doubt from run ins with monsters in all those years alone. There was one peculiar scar that looked like a spiral up one of his arms. He was fit and muscular, but not overly so. His long, black hair was choppy and a bit shorter in the front but ran to his shoulders in the back. It was obvious he cut his own hair, probably with the knife he was carrying when he was brought here. Keith somehow made his weird mullet hair look good. 

“Aaaaand, done,” Lance declared as he secured the bandage. The second he said that, keith's eyes regained focus and he flinched away from lances touch. 

“What was that?” keith asked.

“A bandage.”

“No, the… voice thing. You told me to let you bandage me and i let you.”

Lance let out an awkward laugh and combed his fingers through his wavy hair. “Sorry about that. I can charmspeak. I can like, make people do what i want by telling them to. Sometimes i do it without meaning to.” 

Lance couldn’t trace Keith's emotion. First he looked confused, then angry, but then he just went “huh, cool.”

“It comes in handy,” lance said. “Anyway, here's some clothes. Get dressed and i’ll show you around the camp and explain stuff. I’ll be waiting outside.”

A minute later and keith exited the Big house in the clothes lance had brought him: a collared, deep green army jacket, black skinny jeans, a dark orange ‘camp half blood’ shirt, and pointed, brown camping boots. Lance was almost speechless at how good he looked. 

“A bit too fashionable for my taste,” keith said as he played with the collar of his jacket. 

“Uhh,” lance said. He quickly shook his head a bit to recover. “I asked my siblings for some clothes for you, and of course they had to ask what you look like and everything so they could choose the best outfit. What else would you expect from them?”

They walked around the camp as people started waking up and starting their morning chores. Lance gave an enthusiastic tour of the camp and explained what it was as they walked. “This place is protected, so monsters can't get in and mortals can’t find it.”

“Seriously? How do they keep the monsters away?” Keith asked with raised eyebrows. Lance understood his surprise. When he got to camp after a few months of being alone and hunted down, he almost cried from relief when his tour guide said ‘no monsters’. 

“That pine tree, thalia's tree, it’s a long story but it has a magical barrier over the camp. That huge statue of Athena protects us also.”

“So… a tree and a statue?”

Lance gave a crystalline laugh. “Yeah, kinda weird items for insanely powerful and magical saviors that protect hundreds of demigods.” They continued to walk. Lance showed him the strawberry fields and the lake, saying hello to a few campers as they strolled. “Camp is most crowded in the summer, but there still are some year round campers, like right now,” He pointed out. It was early spring, so there weren’t too many people around. “The year rounders are people who don’t have a family to go back to, or attract too many monsters outside of camp.”

“Why are you a year rounder?” Keith asked, his arms crossed. 

Lance inhaled sharply, remembering everything he had thought about at the lake last night. He stared ahead and didn’t look at keith. “I have a big family with a lot of younger nieces and nephews, and as i got older i attracted more monsters and trouble. I left so none of them would get hurt.” He held up his leather necklace with four beads so keith could see it. “Been here for four years.”

“That’s rough.”

“Yeah, you’re tellin’ me,” Lance said. He took a deep breath and tore his eyes away from the horizon he was staring at. “I have friends here though, and i visit my family every once in awhile. I like it here, for the most part.”

“How often can you like… leave camp?”

“Depends on why you need to leave, how powerful a demigod you are, and how long you’ll be gone. Sometimes demigods are sent on quests, where they get a prophecy and go on a mission to fix whatever problem they were sent out for.”

Keith kicked aside a rock as they walked. “You ever been on one?”

“A few,” lance said with a sigh, “But nothing too big, you know? Stuff like ‘find this demigod’ and ‘search for this magical item’. Most of them didn’t take more than like two days to complete. I wanna go on a huge, camp saving, dangerous quest that all of chiron's stars used to go on years ago.”

“‘Chirons stars’?”

Lance let out a small laugh. “Every once in awhile there will be some demigod involved with a big prophecy who goes on a bunch of cool quests and saves the world. Chiron high-key favorited them and even has like a wall with their pictures on it.” He started playing with the sleeve of his newly washed cardigan. “Not too long ago there were seven demigods who went on a big whole series of quests. They’re pretty well known but the guy Percy Jackson is the biggest. He was part of an even bigger prophecy before that and saved the world with a few of his friends. I’ve met the guy, he’s pretty great.”

“What happened to them?”

“Nothing, actually,” Lance said with a small hint of envy in his voice. “They’re all fine. Percy just graduated college with his girlfriend, who was also a part of The Seven. The others are either at the other demigod camp, Camp Jupiter, or they’re out exploring. Must be nice.” Before keith could respond, lance spotted the cabins. “Oh! Let's go look at the cool stuff.”

“What are all these?” Keith asked. There were about fifteen or so cabins that were lined in a circle. Each one was differently decorated and some had symbols on top. 

“These are the cabins. Each one represents a god, and you stay in whichever one is your godly parents. There were originally twelve for each olympion, but that guy Percy made the gods promise to recognise their kids more, so the camp built more cabins for minor gods so their kids wouldn’t have to stay in the hermes cabin.”

“What about me? I don't know who my parent is,” keith pointed out. He sounded bitter, understandably so.

“Yeah, that’s weird.”

“You callin’ me weird?”

“Mhm. Percy also made the gods swear to claim their children by the age of thirteen. You’re way over thirteen, so that’s weird.”

“Great,” keith mumbled. “Glad to know my mom’s paying special attention to me.”

“Don’t worry, we all feel like that here,” lance said while swiping a bit of hair out of his face. “I doubt you’ll find even one person here who has a great relationship with their parents.”

The two of them walked along the circle of cabins as lance explained who they were for. “These three cabins,” lance said while gesturing to Hera, Zeus, and poseidon, “Are almost always empty. Zeus and Poseidon, plus Hades, are the Big Three gods. They’re not supposed to have kids because their children are insanely powerful, plus the whole prophecy thing from a while ago but that's a long story. Of course, they can’t keep it in their pants so they have had one or two kids, but no more than that.”

Keith looked a little dreamily at the Big Three’s cabins, but lance couldn’t blame him. He’d always secretly wished he was a child of the big three, especially poseidon. Then, maybe he’d actually be taken seriously around camp. 

“Do demigods ever meet their godly parents?” Keith asked, the sun dancing off his long, black hair. 

Lance got a poor taste in his mouth from that question. “Some of them. You have to do something to get their attention, though, like do good on a quest or show that your powerful. The gods don’t just stroll in and have tea with their kids. Trust me, i’d know.”

“You’ve never met your parent?”

“Nope.”

“Who is it? Your godly parent, i mean.”

“The one and only, goddess of love, Aphrodite,” Lance declared with the most proud smile and voice he could muster. “Hence the flashy clothes my cabin mates picked out for you.”

Keith gave a small scoff that seemed to hit lance in the heart and spread ice through his whole body. “You don’t say.”

Lance went into defense mode. He folded his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. Suddenly he wasn’t too fond of this Keith guy. “You have a problem with my mom?”

“I guess not,” Keith said while folding his arms like lance did. “Wouldn’t her kids not be the most powerful, though.”

He’s heard the same exact thing so many times in the four years he’s been at this camp, so lance didn’t know why this guy was getting more under his skin than most. “I’ll have you know that some of us are very powerful. A daughter of aphrodite was a part of the seven, and another daughter of aphrodite died in the battle of manhattan a few years ago to save camp. I also have charmspeak and i’m one of the best swordsmen and shooters in this camp.”

Keith gave another small scoff-like laugh. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Whatever,” Lance murmured, his arms still crossed. He continued on with showing Keith the cabins, but any friendliness or charm that was in his voice before was now gone. Keith didn’t seem bothered by that, or maybe he just didn’t notice. 

“You’ll stay there until, or if, you get claimed,” Lance said once they get to the hermes cabin. “Let's go in.” He entered the hermes cabin with keith right behind him.

“Yo, Damien!” lance yelled to the sleeping Hermes councillor. 

“Uh, wha’?” Damien replied sleepily, his blond hair sticking up all over the place. 

“Got an empty bunk? New camper here, unclaimed,” Lance said as he gestured to keith who looked as unfriendly as ever. 

All the sleep seemed to leave Damien's face at lances comment. “He’s unclaimed? We haven’t had one of those in ages.”

“Mhm. He’ll be back later, just finishing up the tour.” Lance leaned back against the door frame. “You’re lookin’ good, damien,” He said with a rich voice. What could he say? The guy was hot. 

“Not too bad yourself, McClain. See you at breakfast?”

“You bet,” Lance said with flirt in his voice. He gave the boy one last look then closed the hermes cabin door. Keith was giving him a weird look. “What?” He asked him. 

“...Where you flir- you know what, nevermind.” They walked on. Keith looked back at the hermes cabin with a weird look on his face. He only pried his eyes away from it when lance called for him to keep up. 

They got to the end of the first line of cabins and circled their way back. “These are all the female gods. One of them is your mom.”

Lance thought back to his first day of camp. It was only a few days before his thirteenth birthday and he hadn’t been claimed. When being shown the cabins he immediately felt a special connection to the aphrodite cabin, and that night he was claimed as her son. He wondered if keith was feeling any connection to the cabins, but so far he looked pretty unamused. 

“Oh! This is my cabin, let's go say hi,” Lance exclaimed once they reached the pretty, dollhouse looking cabin 10. “They’ll be thrilled to see you in those clothes.”

They entered the cabin to see only a few people inside, most of the aphrodite kids being summer campers. Two of lances brothers were just waking up while his three sisters were all over each other in the mirror as they finished their makeup. 

“‘Sup, everyone,” lance called. Keith walked in after him. “This is that Keith gu-”

“Oh my gods!” lance's sister, Lisa, interrupted. “Jamie, you were totally right about those boots, they look great on him.”

“I told you,” jamie said as he got out of his bunk and rubbed his head. 

Adeline glanced over at keith, then continued putting her silky black hair in a messy but perfect looking bun. “I still think we should have gone with the black dress shoes.”

“With that army jacket?” Jamie commented. “You’re crazy.”

Keith looked uncomfortable with being the cabins current fashion discussion, which brought Lance joy. Still, he steered away the conversation. “Yeah yeah, he looks great. Remember your chores today, everyone. Jamie, Lisa, you’re on cleaning duty. There are cabin checks today and there’s no way we’re getting dishwash duty again. Adeline, Sophie, you two have to wash the pegasi, and everyone else has to help weed the vegetable garden with the demeter kids. I want everything done by dinner.”

Chants of ‘got it’ and ‘yes, sir’ chimed around the cabin in response. Right before the door closed behind the two boys, a few of lances siblings gave a flirty “bye, keith.” When they got outside, keith looked totally overwhelmed. Lance wanted to laugh.

“Are you the boss or something?” Keith asked after they started walking again. 

“I’m the counselor, so i guess. I’ve been at camp longer than anyone there and i’ve been on the most quests.”

They continued on walking and eventually they got to the end of the cabins. Keith still didn’t look very inspired by any of them, which got lance wondering who keith’s parent could be. He didn’t know much about the guy, so his guess was as good as anyone else's. He wondered if he’d be one of those unfortunate campers that never learned who their parent is. Even though Keith was a bit of a jerk, lance still hoped that wasn’t the case. 

“So, anymore questions about camp?” Lance asked once they stopped walking. 

“Yeah, i have one,” keith said. “How long can i stay here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like… when do i have to leave?” Keith wouldn’t meet lance's eyes. 

“What are you talking about? You can stay however long you want, that’s why we have this camp. You’re safe here.” Lance felt a bit guilty when he said that last line, because he knew it wasn’t true. If the problem chiron had told him about was really happening, none of them would be safe. The home he’s known for four years would die. He tried to push the thought out of his head. 

Keith seemed a bit bewildered by lances answer, as if he was still trying to comprehend what he said. “Yeah. Thanks, Lance,” he said after a few seconds. He gave lance a smile that seemed to make his entire person look warmer. His purple eyes looked friendlier, his posture was more welcoming, even his long hair seemed to frame his face perfectly. 

Lance let out some incoherent noise that sounded something like “uhh hmm.” Then, he found him scolding himself. ‘You are NOT gonna get flustered by this emo guy,’ He told himself. ‘Yeah, but that was a really cute smile,’ He argued back. ‘The guy is a jerk! You saw how he responded when you told him who your mom was.’ That last comment snapped Lance back to reality. “Breakfast is starting soon, let me show you to the Hermes table and you’ll be good to go.”

\--Keith’s P.O.V: 

“Everyone, this is your new cabin mate, keith,” Lance announced when they got to the hermes table at breakfast. There were only about four kids at the table. “I already talked to Damien about it. See ya.” And with that, Keith watched as lance walked away to sit at a table with some of the people he recognized from the aphrodite cabin. Even though the Lance guy wasn’t his favorite, a small part of him wished he hadn’t of left. At least he kind of knew him. Keith wasn’t a fan of being dropped off at a table full of people he had never met before. 

“Uh, hey,” Keith said awkwardly as he took a seat. A few of the kids introduced themselves And made small talk with keith. Stuff along the lines of ‘when did you get to camp?’ and ‘How are you liking everything?’ After keith gave some unenthusiastic answers to the questions, the table pretty much died down as the hermes kids went back into conversations with their siblings, as if keith wasn’t there. He didn’t mind it, he wasn’t particularly fond of small talk. 

The tour with lance had brought keith lots of new information, most of it overwhelming. The most prominent on his mind was the whole ordeal with his mother. Keiths mom, whoever she was, had gone out of her way to break an oath and be four years late in claiming keith, if she ever did claim him. He could really feel the love. While walking through the cabins, he hadn’t felt anything special. No names rang a bell, there was no connection to any of the goddesses, there was… nothing. Well, there had been one moment, but… no. it was nothing. He was just imagining it, it was impossible. Still, he couldn’t help but keep it in the back of his mind.

As keith stabbed at the food that was just placed in front of him, his mind wandered back to earlier when lance had re bandaged his back and when lance had found him almost unconscious on the hill. That charmspeak thing made keith feel lots of different emotions. At first he was angry, he felt deceived and not in control, which wasn’t something keith enjoyed. The skill that lance had was pretty powerful, he must be a pretty strong demigod.

While Keith was being charmspeaked, he remembered how it felt. All his emotions and will had gone to lance. He was thinking ‘anything for him’, and ‘how could i NOT do whatever this beautiful guy asks me?’ Which gave keith some mixed feelings. Lance was kind of a jerk, but keith couldn’t help but feel some emotion towards him. He didn't know what specific emotion it was: infatuation? Appreciation? He didn’t know. But whatever it was, it wasn’t negative.

Keith had gone so many years moving around. He never got too close to anyone with his dad's advice ringing in his ears. ‘Don’t trust anyone.’ Lance could be a good… something. A good friend, a good lover, a good enemy. The fact that there was some sort of potential for a label to their relationship made keith uneasy. He’d gone so long with moving on quickly and not giving people a second thought, and the fact that that could change almost scared keith. 

When he found out Lance's mom was the goddess of love and beauty, it filled keith with relief. He thought, ‘I don’t feel anything for him, he just has natural charm because of his mom.’ But the idea, or hope, had quickly went away when he met some of the other Aphrodite kids. Even with them fawning over him and complimenting him, it felt nothing like when lance had winked at him, when lance had told him he looked good, when he was simply in the presence of lance. 

After Lance told keith who his mom was, something in his voice had changed for the rest of the tour. Perhaps Keith had said something wrong, though he didn’t know what. He’d spent years alone, this whole ‘caring about people's feelings’ thing was new to him, and he wasn’t the best at it so if he had said something rude, he hadn’t noticed. It didn’t matter, though, because keith wasn’t here to make friends. 

He was here to… well… he didn’t know. Keith thought back to what lance had said, ‘You can stay however long you want, that’s why we have this camp. You’re safe here.’ The idea of being safe was something completely new. Even with hestia's necklace, he was still hunted out in the mortal world, always running and worrying about what would find him tomorrow. This place, this camp, seemed too good to be true. A place he could stay, for as long as he wanted, while being safe. He wanted to stay, and it was just dawning on him that he could. Suddenly, the eggs he was eating started to taste better. 

Damien, the guy lance had been flirting with, sat down at the hermes table and tore keith away from his thoughts. “Morning, everyone,” He said while rubbing his hand sleepily over his sharp face. His short blond hair was a bit tamer now.

“Look at who’s finally awake,” a girl at the table commented with a smirk on her face. She shared some features with damien. Actually, a lot of the kids looked similar. They had the same light eyes, pointed nose, and smirk that could make any teacher uncomfortable. They looked a bit like lance, actually, but not as handsome. 

“Quiet, miranda,” Damien commented. He chewed aggressively at a biscuit then turned his attention to Keith. “Hey, sorry we didn’t get to meet properly back there,” He said as he held out his hand. Keith shook it firmly.

“Thanks for uh, giving me a place to stay,” Keith said genuinely. 

“‘s not a problem. Us hermes kids take in anyone. ‘God of Travellers’ and all.”

Breakfast continued and after people's plates were emptied and the camp was ready to start their chores, chiron appeared before them. “Attention campers! Some morning announcements.” Keith looked over and… huh… where a wheelchair had been previously was now a white stallion. Centaur. Neat. “We have a new camper: Keith Kogane, at the Hermes table.”

People turned in their seats, eyes were upon him. Keith just gave a small nod of the head to say, “hey.” The attention wasn’t his favorite thing and he was pleased when people turned back to look at chiron. He noticed that over at the aphrodite table, lance's eyes lingered on him for a few seconds longer than the rest, or maybe he was looking at damien. Keith quickly diverted his eyes to avoid awkward eye contact. 

Something keith noticed was that chiron had said ‘over at the hermes table,’ instead of saying ‘unclaimed,’ like lance had. He wondered why Chiron wasn’t advertising the fact that keith didn’t know his parent. Maybe it was to stop a frenzy amongst the campers, maybe it was to save keith from all the attention. Keith was wondering if this whole ‘unclaimed’ business was more serious than lance had let on. 

“One final announcement,” chiron continued on. “Tonights capture the flag game has been canceled, and will be rescheduled to a later date.” Groans and noises of displeasure rang through the dining pavilion. Clearly the camp wasn’t pleased with this, but chiron just held up his hand and the campers fell silent. “I know you’re angry, but there has been a worrying amount of monster activity at the camp's borders. I’m sure it will pass over, but for now we need to be safe. Dismissed.”

Soon, keith got his chores from damien and he was on his way. He restocked the hay in the horse stables, he polished swords down at the armories, and he helped to clean up the hermes cabin before checks. Keith didn’t mind the chores, in fact, they made him feel part of the community. 

His last chore of the day was picking strawberries, which didn’t sound too bad. When he arrived at the strawberry fields, he found a familiar face, holding a bucket half full of berries.

“ugh,” Lance grunted, noticing Keith. “I can’t get away from you, can i?”

“Weren’t you the one who wanted to give me the tour?”

“No, chiron made me,” Lance said with a bit of defense in his voice. 

“You didn’t seem opposed to the idea.”

“I-... whatever,” he stuttered out. “Might as well introduce you to the gang,” Lance said, waving for keith to follow him. They walked to a table where a few kids were boxing strawberries while popping a few into their mouths every couple of seconds. 

“This is pidge, daughter of athena,” Lance said, gesturing to a girl with glasses and short brown hair. She was throwing berries at one of the other kids at the table who didn’t look very amused. 

“Sup,” she said simply to keith, then she went back to throwing berries. 

“This is allura, daughter of hecate,” lance continued on. He pointed his head towards a strangely white haired girl. Her eyes were a shocking blue and her skin shone dark in the sun. 

“Nice to meet you,” She said sweetly in an unplaceable accent. 

Lance walked over to a the last kid at the table, a guy with dark hair that flowed over a yellow headband, which contrasted his dark skin. “This is my buddy Hunk, son of hephaestus.” 

“Hi,” hunk said with a wave. “Pidge, i swear to god, if you don’t stop throwing berries at me i’m gonna rig air horns to every bed in the athena cabin. Again.” 

“Please don’t,” lance groaned, “The Aphrodite cabin is only one cabin away from theirs.”

“Do what you want to our cabin, but the athena kids are gonna beat hephaestus’ butt at capture the flag, whenever it is,” Pidge said, popping a strawberry in her mouth.

“Anyway,” lance said before hunk could counter back, “Everyone, this is keith, but you already know that from Chiron's warm and welcoming speech.”

“How’re you liking camp?” Hunk asked. 

“Uh, it’s good,” Keith said simply. “I like it.” He felt like he was intruding on a friend group right now, like he wasn’t meant to be there. He did like camp, but he’s met enough new people for a lifetime. 

“A riveting review,” Pidge joked. 

“Oh!” Lance called out, remembering something. He reached into the pocket of his high waisted jeans and pulled out a crumpled ten dollar bill. “Hunk, give this back to Callie for me.”

“Why do you have my cabin mates money?” 

“I told you i could charmspeak someone into giving me ten dollars, and i did,” Lance said smugly with his arms crossed.

Pidge scoffed. “How do we know that's not just your money that you're pretending you got by charmspeak?”

“She has a point,” Allura commented. 

“Fine.” Lance took the bill out of hunks hands and turned to keith. “Here, have ten dollars,” He said, giving the money to keith. Then, something in his voice changed. “Keith, can you please give me your money?”

Suddenly, keith wanted nothing more than to give any and all money he had to Lance. He’d do anything for him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins that were in his pocket. He gladly handed that and the ten dollars over to lance. 

The second the money was placed in his hand, keith's shoulders tensed and his mind cleared. Once he realized what had happened he let out a grunt of frustration. “I hate when you do that,” he said as he tried to hide a blush. Lance did nothing but laugh and wink at hunk for some reason. Keith scooped up a bucket and went to do his chore and pick the strawberries. He was slightly aware of Lance whispering something to hunk that had them both laughing. 

Every time lance charmspeaked keith, that deep feeling of infatuation was amplified, unignorable so. That’s why keith hated it so much, he wanted to ignore that feeling. He wanted to deny the fact that he saw lance as anything other than a jerk. That wasn’t the truth, though, and while being charmspeaked, it was obvious. 

After a few minutes of picking and being lost in thought, allura picked up a bucket and joined keith. “Lance tells us you’re unclaimed,” She said in her accented voice after a few minutes of silence.

“Lance told you that, huh?” Keith said, a small bit of annoyance stinging his voice. 

“Do you have any idea who your parent is? Like, do you have any special abilities or anything that might hint at it?” She asked, trying to help. 

Keith took a deep breath. He’d been wondering who his mom was for years and even being at camp didn’t give him any idea. It was infuriating. “No, not really. I’m kinda good at knife fighting but i don’t think that has to do with anything.”

“Maybe athena?” she guessed. “They’re pretty strategic fighters.”

It was a possibility, but the name ‘athena’ didn’t make him feel anything. It didn’t ring any bells or feel compelling. “There is… something,” Keith brought up hesitantly. He thought back to that flock of harpies, how he had killed all of them in seconds. The way he had done that… “nevermind,” He said. Whatever he had done had even scared himself. He didn’t want to scare off these people as well. 

Allura raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything else. They picked in silence for a while and soon Keith's bucket was stocked full of berries. Allura brushed a long strand of white hair out of her face and looked at the others to see if they were out of earshot. 

“You’ll have to excuse lance if he’s been acting like a jerk,” she said in a quieter voice. 

Keith let out a small laugh. “Why’s that?”

“He just has a lot of pride and is easily insulted. If he’s trying to prove himself by charmspeaking you like that, it’s because he feels threatened.” She took a berry out of her bucket and chewed it. 

“Threatened?” Keith asked with a raised eyebrow. “By me?”

“Mhm. You’re a powerful demigod, keith. I can sense it, and so can he.” She took a deep breath and hesitated before she spoke again, probably unsure on whether she should bring something up. “Also, you survived out there for a long time. Lance felt, and still feels, really guilty about leaving his family. He feels like he should have been able to handle himself while protecting the people he loves, but he’s a powerful demigod as well and can’t do both of those things. I think he’s envious.” 

Keith mulled that through his head. It made sense, and it would explain why lance had been getting a bit defensive while around keith. It also explained why lance was staring so intensely at hestia's necklace after chiron explained what it did. He probably wished he’d had something like that. 

“You seem to know him well,” Keith said as he looked back at lance, who was in a strawberry food fight with pidge. 

Allura let out a light laugh. “Yeah, i’ve known him for a few years. The only way to figure out that guys quirks is by time. He’s a lot more than a pretty face and a big attitude, you know. He’s really caring and protective. He’s a good friend, you just have to look past his facade to see it.”

Keith gave a long sigh and took in that information. He looked over at allura and gave her an appreciative smile, to which she returned. After more silence and picking, Keith's bucket was full. He went to drop it off at the boxing table, and as he walked over hunk started to say something that caught keith's attention.

“Lance, what was the real reason chiron canceled Capture the flag?” Hunk asked. 

After throwing one last strawberry at pidge, lance answered. “Why are you askin’ me?”

“You’re kinda in Chiron’s inner circle, you'd know more than us.”

Lance looked uncomfortable, but he tried covering it with a grin. “It’s just what Chiron said, there’s a bunch of monsters around the perimeter.” Allura joined them, taking interest in the conversation. 

“Dude, that’s never stopped us before,” Pidge said with the sun glaring off her glasses. “Remember that one time there was a dragon loose in the woods and all chiron did was make that area out of bounds?” 

Lance seemed uneasy with being the center of attention at the moment, which seemed uncharacteristic for him. “I uh, i don’t know anything.” 

“you’re a really bad liar,” Hunk commented. 

With a deeply offended sounding voice, lance said, “Excuse you, i’m an amazing liar.” 

“Just tell us, man.”

They were all looking at lance, who looked overwhelmed. Keith almost felt bad for him. After a few seconds, lance gave in. “Fine,” he said. “IF you guys tell anyone else, or tell chiron i told you, i will kick your asses. Understand?”

“Understood,” Lance's friends echoed back.

Quieter than before, lance started talking. “...Chiron thinks the camps life source is fading.” His voice was low and wavering. He sounded scared. 

“What do you mean? Don’t the gods keep the camp alive?” Allura asked. 

“Kind of. One goddess does it, but she does it on behalf of all the gods. Hestia.” Keith had to suppress a gasp at the name. Hestia… He hadn’t talked to her in a while. In Fact, the last time they talked, she told him to come to this camp. He remembered how panicked she was. She seemed scared and rushed, which contrasted her usual calm and warm ways. 

Lance continued on. “The life of camp comes from her fire, the one in the middle of the circle of cabins. If it goes out, the athena parthenos and Thalia's tree won't be enough to save us. Monsters would be able to find camp and they’d overrun it.” lance wasn’t meeting any of their eyes. He played with the sleeve of his cardigan as he talked. “And lately… the fire’s been flickering.” 

“My necklace!” Keith remembered, startling everyone out of their shocked state. “That gorgon had been following me for a day, which shouldn’t be possible because of hestia's flame. If her fire at camp is flickering, it must be in my necklace as well.” 

“That’s what chiron thinks,” Lance said with a nod. 

“It also would explain why more monsters are at the camp borders. A few even got in last week,” Pidge said. 

“Why is it flickering?” Hunk asked. 

Lances eyebrows were slightly knit. Relaying the news to all of them seemed to be taking a toll on him. “Chiron has a few theories, nothing good. He wants to tell the rest of camp but i think he’s waiting to see what happens. Sorry, keith,” He said with a genuinely sympathetic smile. “You kinda got here at a bad time.”

“My whole life is bad timing,” Keith murmured. He might not have been at this camp as long as these people, but for the first time since he was ten years old, he felt safe. He knew this place would be a great home to him. But now, just like every home he’s had, it was disappearing.

He suddenly felt angry. Angry at everything. The universe, himself, his dad, whoever his mom is. Keiths whole life, he’s felt like the whole world was against him. How could he NOT feel like that? His dad abandoned him, the only guidance he’s had is an occasionally visiting goddess. Through his whole life, he’s travelled and travelled, never staying in one place long. The goddess, hestia, told him that he’d find a home here, but now even she was taking that away from him. 

“I’m sure chiron will figure something out,” Hunk said to lighten the mood. “This camp has survived two wars. A little fire going out won't stop us now.”

“Hunk’s right,” Allura commented. 

“We can find a new place! Or we can just stay with camp jupiter while things get sorted out!” Pidge proposed. Everyone's spirits seemed to be a little higher now, optimism flowed through the group, except for lance. His face was still dark and gloomy, which was very different from his usual smirk and light eyes. Keith missed the dorky but absolutely gorgeous smile, and he hated himself for that. 

They finished packing up the strawberries mostly in silence after that. The dinner bell rang right they packaged up the last container, and they exchanged goodbyes and went their separate ways to their designated dining tables. “Nice to meet you, keith!” Allura called as she made her way to the Hecate table. 

Keith sat at the hermes table and got his food. He followed his cabin mates to the fire, where people were scraping parts of their food into the flame. Reluctantly, keith slid half his bread and a bit of stringbeans into the flame. ‘To… Whatever god you are. If you could claim me, or give me, like, a sign that you exist, that would be nice. Thanks,’ He thought before sitting back down. 

After a filling meal, keith made his way to the hermes cabin and collapsed onto the bunk Damien had prepared for him. He kept on the outfit the Aphrodite cabin had picked for him. Despite his first opinion on it, he was strangely growing fond of the dark green army jacket. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts, both positive and negative, lure him into a deep sleep.  
_____________________________________

The next morning, keith woke up, got breakfast, and did his chores. Despite only being at camp for one full day, he already felt like he was in a routine. 

After lunch, keith had to meet up with lance to get his bandages changed. He had been healing steadily since the fight with the gorgon, and felt mostly fine despite brief periods of dizziness and a small ache in his back. Because of the ambrosia and nectar, he healed faster than normal, luckily. 

As lance carefully cleaned the wound on keith's back, keith let his mind wander. He started thinking about this camp, and his place in it. Why had the goddess, hestia, sent him here? It couldn’t just be because it was a safe place, there was something else. Maybe there was something specific here he needed to find? He at least thought he’d find more information on his mom and his family here, but no dice.

The thought of his mom sparked a well known flame of anger inside keith. Why wouldn’t she send him a sign? He was at camp after surviving for years in the mortal world. Now seemed like a good time to be claimed, but apparently his mom didn’t agree.

“Lance,” Keith began, surprising himself, “How did your mom claim you?”

“It was a few days after i got to camp, and i was twelve years old, almost thirteen,” He began to explain as he put a thin bandage over the clean wound. Keith put his shirt back on and faced lance, who had a small smile on his face. “An ares kid and a Hermes kid got in a big fight that turned violent. The Hermes kid had been really nice to me when i stayed in their cabin, and they were getting pretty beat up. It made me angry so i yelled ‘Stop Fighting,’ and they did. That’s how i figured out that i have charmspeak. Then the campers were all staring at me. I looked down and saw that Aphrodite had put me in a super nice suit and basically made me look awesome. I looked up, and there was a glowing dove symbol over my head.”

“That sounds cool.”

“It was actually kind of embarrassing, but it’s still a good memory.” Lance must have noticed the distant look on keith's face, and with a softer voice he said, “Your mom will claim you. You just have to be patient.”

“All i have been is ‘patient’,” Keith said with a sigh. “But, thanks.” 

Lance's eyes seemed to go wide for a second, then he quickly turned around to face away from keith. “Yeah, uhh whatever.”

Keith couldn’t keep up with this guy. One second lance is all defensive and charmspeaking him to make a point, and the next second he’s comforting keith and telling him to have faith. Keith thought back to what allura had said, ‘He’s a good friend, you just have to look past his facade to see it.’ The idea of having a friend still made keith uncomfortable, but he knew that lance could be a great one. That gave Keith mixed feelings.

Keith got up to leave the infirmary, but lance stopped him. “I almost forgot,” he said, “Chiron wants to talk to you at the Big House.”

“Why?” Keith asked, feeling like he was about to get served a detention from a teacher at school. 

“Dunno. Must be serious, though, if he summoned you to the Big House.”

And so keith made his way there. As he walked down the valley he twisted the black, faintly glowing necklace in between his fingers, a nervous habit he had acquired over the years. He didn’t know what chiron wanted to talk about, but he didn’t think it was good. Could he be getting kicked out of camp, a new home he had come to adore so soon? Each footstep was harder to make as he got closer and closer to the vine covered, two story house.

Once he got closer he saw the tall figure of chiron waiting on the porch, his bottom half a white stallion that seemed to be currently restless. “Ah, keith,” he said in his old timey accent once noticing the boy, “Please, let’s talk inside.”

Keith did nothing but nod and make a weird noise that sounded like “Mhmph.” Chiron entered the front door of the big house, but he had to duck so he didn’t hit the door frame. Keith followed him in. He looked over at the white bed he had woken up in after his fight with the gorgon. He remembered the dream he had in the bed, and how he woke up and listened to the conversation lance and chiron were having about him. He remembered how the sun had perfectly bounced off lances warm brown layered hair, and how each feature of his face fit together perfectly to make something beautiful and almost artistic… what was keith thinking about, again? 

“Keith, i’d like to talk to you more about that necklace you wear,” chiron said with crossed arms. 

‘Uh oh,’ keith immediately thought as he recalled all the secrets that were hidden with the pendant. 

Chiron continued on with an expression that read don’t-lie-to-me. “You didn’t get that necklace from a cyclops, did you?”

‘UH OH’ keith thought again. He didn’t say anything, though, he just looked at chiron with the best poker face he could muster. 

“Hestia's flame can only be given as a gift like this by hestia herself. The person she gives it to can then hand it down to someone else, but the gift has to be given from a place of love and compassion, or else the flame won't work.” Chiron’s eyes were kind, but intense. Keith knew that chiron wouldn’t force the answers out of him, but the lingering knowledge that chiron would be disappointed in keith if he didn’t spill was almost maddening. “So which is it, keith? Did hestia give you the necklace, or did someone pass it down to you? Either way, it wasn’t a cyclops.” His interest in the necklace was understandable after lance had told him about hestia’s flame flickering at camp. Keith knew that chiron was looking for any information on the topic of hestia, and keith happened to have information.

“I- i- uh,” keith stuttered. He felt like crying. This was his biggest secret that he had trusted absolutely no one with in all his years alone. Sharing it with Chiron would be a huge breach in his morals, but by not telling him he would disappoint him, somehow symbolically letting down this new home he’s been welcomed into. Frustration rose in his face at his inability to make a decision. His emotions were in a fritz. He couldn’t chose right now.

And he didn’t have to. Right then, a huge boom shook the camp. It nearly knocked keith over. Soon after, the screams of campers could heard. Chiron and Keith exchanged worried look, their previous conversation forgotten. They walked outside together and the site made keith dizzy. 

There were hoards of monsters that were making their way down the hill that held Thalia's tree and the Athena Parthenos. That shouldn’t have been possible, though, because of the camp's borders. With a gasp, keith remembered what Lance had told him and his friends the day before, ‘If it goes out, the athena parthenos and Thalia's tree won't be enough to save us. Monsters would be able to find camp and they’d overrun it.’ 

Keith quickly tore his eyes away from the monsters and looked down at his necklace. The glow of hestia's flame was dim, but still there, so the camps fire was still probably burning. But it was flickering, and what Lance had said was true. The monsters had found them. 

There were at least two hundred of them, complete with Cyclopes, gorgons, angry spirits, and more. They made their way to camp fast, the smell of more than twenty demigods no doubt driving them crazy. The campers that were outside were momentarily frozen with shock, but they rose to action after quickly recovering. Demigods called over other campers for help, people grabbed their weapons, the apollo cabin prepared an archery line. 

Keith unsheathed his bronze dagger from the holder on his belt and ran closer to the action. He was about to surge forward and start fighting until he heard a voice come from his side. “I heard you tell Allura you’re good with that knife,” lance said from beside him. He held a long, celestial bronze gladius with a dark red grip. It was a pretty dark and hardcore weapon for lances flashy, light personality. With an intense look, lance made eye contact with him, and with a voice deeper than usual he said, “Now, it’s time for you to prove that true.” 

Keith had to admit, that was one of the most hottest things he has ever had the pleasure to see and hear. He wanted to put all his power into fighting with his knife and showing lance what he was really worth. But now, Lance wasn’t charmspeaking keith at all. He didn’t know why lance's words affected him so much if he wasn’t even putting magic in the words. He didn’t dwell on it long. Instead, he returned the dark, intense look lance was giving him, then he charged. 

He was immediately swarmed with monsters and swallowed into the pack. He slashed in a large arch, disintegrating every monster that was touching him. That got the other monsters attention and they stopped running. All of them were about to turn and attack keith until the other campers joined the fight. 

Keith sliced and sidestepped and jumped. He used all the experience he had gathered in his seven years alone and channeled it to his fighting. Not only his experience, but he used his emotion as well. He remembered the years alone and scared, because of his mom, because of his dad. All his trouble, all the fear he felt, all the monsters he faced, had made his life a nightmare. Monsters just like these. He put all that anger, all that loneliness, and all that bitterness in his knife, and he fought with it. He was vaguely aware of lance standing behind him, his eyes eating up the site and a small, impressed smile on his lips. Then, Lance gave out a chilling yell and charged forward, his gladius at his side. 

Keith could feel a few small scratches appear on his skin as he fought, but he didn’t pay them any attention. So far, the adrenaline of battle was keeping him on his feet, but that wouldn’t last. There were too many monsters for the limited number of campers. Camp Half Blood was holding their own, but keith knew it was a matter of time before they were overwhelmed. 

Keith looked around and saw lance fighting. When he told keith he was one of the best swordsmen at the camp, he hadn’t been lying. He fought in an elegant manor that was very easy to identify as greek. None of the enemies even got close to him before being slashed with his long, dark sword and falling into piles of dust. Not only that, but as he fought he talked to the monsters. He charmspeaked them by shouting “Isn’t that sword awfully heavy? Why don’t you drop it and let me kill you?!” The monsters obeyed and let their weapons clatter to the ground and stand still, waiting for lance to come by and destroy them. Keith had to concentrate very hard to not let the charmspeak get to him. All while lance fought, he had the biggest grin on his face ever. His eyes were wild with adrenaline, he laughed out loud a few times in between charm speaks, and he fought skillfully and deadly. He was a figure of beauty and madness, and keith was infatuated with it. 

After peeling his eyes away from lance and battling a few more monsters, keith looked around to see how the other campers were doing. He saw lots of them lay unmoving on the ground, which made his heart sink. He looked over just in time to see a cyclops hit damien so hard he flew onto a nearby picnic table and broke it. Keith saw Allura nearby holding her ribs in pain, and he saw some of lance's other friends not doing too much better. He saw a hermes kid on the ground with blood flowing dangerously from his side. That hermes kid had been really kind to keith as he stayed in their cabin. Lance was still fighting as deadly as ever, but blood flowed heavily down his face from a cut in his forehead. 

Rage boiled inside keith. This place, this camp, these people, had taken keith in and given him the closest thing to a home he’s had in years. These people were nice to him, they cared for him. These monsters, the ones that had been harassing him since the age of ten would not take this away from him. 

While talking to Chiron, keith felt he had to make a decision: His morals, or the camp. He would either follow personal rules he had been running on almost all his life and lie to these people, or he could chose the camp and break those moral rules by telling the truth. 

Well, he’s made his choice. He chooses the camp. 

Keith forced up all his energy. He used all the rage and passion that was in his body and put it into a yell. He screamed so loudly he could be heard over the noise of battle. It was pure power. He knew what was about to happen, just like what had happened to that flock of harpies. In that moment, he showed the entire camp his biggest secret, something he was scared of himself.

The ground split open like a wound in the earth. A few monsters fell into the chasm, but that wasn’t what keith opened the ground for. He let loose another scream, this one more blood curdling than the last, and groups of the undead rose from the pit. Spirits and skeletons alike, they formed ranks and skewered the monsters that got in their way. Keith didn’t realize it at the time, but all the demigods had stopped fighting. They stared at keith, the chasm, and the undead warriors in a mix of fear and wonder. 

Keith could feel his knees start to wobble, he knew the power was killing him, but he didn’t stop. He chose the camp. As his warriors fought, keith helped. He pointed his bronze dagger at the meanest and worst monsters in the bunch and sent their soul to Tartarus. He pulled their very life source out of their bodies, leaving their physical form crumbling to dust as their ghost was damned to the land of monsters. 

As the undead warriors killed the last monsters, keith sent them back to the chasm they had come from. The last warrior fell into the pit, and with the small bit of energy keith had left, he closed the pit, leaving only a thin crack in the ground like an old scar. It was completely silent at camp which hauntingly contrasted the chaos of battle that had been there only seconds before.

His world was spinning, his head was splitting, every part of him ached. While he huffed and puffed from exhaustion, keith turned around to find everyone still staring at him. There was plain fear in their eyes. Some of them had even backed away from keith. Their jaws hung open and they were petrified in their place. Lance, however, looked amazed. There was a small smile on his lips, his eyes were filled with wonder and something else that was unreadable. His sword was at his side and blood continued to flow from his forehead.

Then, lance's eyes moved. He looked above keith and his smile fell. He gasped out loud, as did the rest of camp. Keith didn’t know what they were looking at, he was confused and tired. But then he looked up. Above his head was a fiery symbol that emitted light. It was a scepter and a helm. The helm of Darkness. 

“No,” he mumbled almost unintelligently. He was so tired he could barely speak, but his mind swarmed with questions, fear, and anger. “That’s impossible...my dad, he’s mortal.”

Lance was the first one down. He plopped onto one knee, slightly bowing at keith. Chiron copied him, and so did the rest of camp. They all still held fright in their faces, but they bowed down anyway. 

Keith was slightly aware of tears that ran down his cheeks. There was too much emotion mixed in with the deep exhaustion he felt. He couldn’t handle this. He wanted to run. 

Chiron spoke up in a booming voice that would forever be seared into Keith's mind.

“All hail Keith Kogane, son of Hades: god of wealth, god of death, king of the Underworld.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe. I loved writing that ending. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I have a lot more to offer with this fic, and bookmarking and subscribing would be greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Please give kudos and tell me what you think! Comments are what keep me righting and any feedback is greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Next chapter will be done in about two weeks. See you then!


	2. The Dark Helm and The Beautiful Dove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has to deal with how differently he's treated around camp. After being claimed by Hades, his mind is bustling with questions about his past and why his father chose to claim him now.
> 
> Lance can't get Allura's words out of his head. She had good intentions, but there was something she had said that had him confused and angry, but he wasn't sure who he was angry at. 
> 
> The camp meets to decide what their next step is, and as everyone combines their information, it becomes clear that a quest is in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy two weeks later and here's the next chapter, right on time. There isn't much action in this chapter, but there are lots of realizations and hints at what's to come next. (Also, sorry if i didn't make this clear but this story takes place a few years after HoO :)) 
> 
> A few people pointed out my lack of capitalization on the characters names, so i put extra attention to that while editing, i hope i didn't disappoint

\--Keith’s P.O.V: 

Keith dreamt, of course. He was transported back two week ago. He had been badly burnt by a basilisk that surprised him in a grass field. He ran to the small, two person apartment that Keith had been staying at during his time in new jersey, and ate as much ambrosia as he dared. His arm, which the snake had slithered up, still felt like lava was being poured down it, but hopefully the godly food would battle the injury and it’s pain.

As he inhaled through his teeth from the pain, Keith looked up at a dark figure he saw in the corner of his eye. Nothing was there, but the atmosphere felt different in the apartment. Keith told himself that it was just because it was late at night, but he didn’t believe even belive himself.

With his uninjured arm he changed his shirt, which was all ripped and burnt up the sleeve. He microwaved a can of soup and ate it fast, remembering that he hadn’t eaten all day. He organized the living room as a surprise for his roommate, Shiro. He did weirdly domestic things for a demigod that almost had his arm burned off by a giant snake. That’s when she showed up.

The dark figure that Keith had been seeing since he got back to the apartment had solidified. She took the form of a girl, no older than twelve, with a long, elegant, red dress on. Long cornrows with strands of gold braided into them went down to her waist. “Hestia,” Keith said in surprise. He bowed to his friend with a small smile on his face. 

“Hello, Keith. It’s been awhile.” Something about her was different. Her words weren’t fast, but they seemed hectic, like she wanted to get to the point but couldn’t get to words out. Also, Hestia always and only showed up around a fire, so she could tend to the hearth, but here she was, fireless in Keith's cheap apartment. “I know you’ve partially settled here in new jersey, and i’d hate to take you away from that, but there is something you need to do. It’s urgent. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t.”

Keiths heart fell. He knew something like this would happen, he just hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. “What is it?” 

“Go to montauk. There you will find a pine tree on a hill. That will be your salvation. You’ll find a home there, better than this one, and you will be truly safe. You’ll find people there that need you, and you need them as well.” 

“Is that it?” Keith asked, almost angry at the vague request. “Just… ‘go to montauk’?”

“I told you,” Hestia said, her voice becoming more desperate and fast, “I wouldn’t tell you to go if it wasn’t important.”

“I know that but… i have a friend here,” Keith said, thinking of Shiro. He was one of the only people he had allowed himself to get close to in all these years. Shiro basically adopted Keith. He let him stay with him, he made an effort to befriend Keith even with how distant he’d been to Shiro. For the first time, Keith liked where he was, and he didn’t want to run. 

Hestia looked at Keith with her intelligent eyes. They were missing the warmth and comfort that Keith often got lost in. “It’s your father’s wish, Keith.”

All the air left his lungs. He could feel his face go pale. “M-my dad? Where is he? Why does he suddenly show up after all these years and want me to go t-”

“I can’t talk about it, i don’t have much time,” Hestia said. “But you have to go to montauk. If not for your father, do it for me. You’ll find answers to things you’ve wondered for years.”

That’s the line that got Keith. “I… okay, i’ll do it. For you.”  
_________________

When Keith woke up, he felt like death. Just opening his eyes and moving his head a bit took all of his strength. Despite just waking up, he felt more exhausted than ever. From what he could see, he was in that same white bed he had slept in on his first day at camp, at the big house. He groaned as he tried to move again, to no avail. 

Slightly startling him, Keith heard a sharp gasp sound from his left. “He’s awake!” the distinct voice of Allura said. Keith turned his head as much as he could to see Allura and Lance sitting in opposite chairs next to his bed. Both of them moved their chairs over closer, so Keith could see them better. 

“Wha’s goin’ on?” Keith managed to say. He was surprised at how fragile and raspy his voice sounded. 

“How much do you remember?” Lance asked. His eyes were heavy with tiredness and his hair was messier than usual. He still looked good, though. 

Keith’s memories flooded back as Lance asked that. His heart was heavy as he recalled the events of the battle and what happened after it. “The monsters attacked. I, uh, raised the dead to fight them, and then i… got claimed.” 

“Yeah, you’re pretty much caught up,” Lance said as he rubbed his head. “Right after that you just… passed out. Your pulse has been borderline gone for a day and a half, you almost died.” His voice was soft and sympathetic.

“I’ve been asleep for almost two days?” Keith asked in amazement. 

Allura gave him a small nod. “Lance and i have been trying to heal you with my magic and his medical abilities, but we didn’t know if you’d wake up.”

Keith tried to sit up but he was still completely without energy. Using all that power in the battle must have worn him out; he’s never tried to do anything that big before. Well, that’s only the second time he’s used his powers, so he wasn’t sure how big he could go. It felt like his inner life had dulled and flickered like Hestia's flame. 

Lance saw Keith’s struggle and got up to help him. He took a pillow off the nearby couch and placed it behind the one Keith laid on. Then, Lance placed his hands on Keith's waist to help prop him up. His caramel skin was warm and soft. He smelled like cinnamon. “Sorry, i’d give you some ambrosia and nectar but you’ve already had a lot.”

“Why couldn’t i just go to the infirmary with all the Apollo healers?” Keith asked, but as the words left his mouth, he remembered who had claimed him, he knew the answer. Lance and Alluras distant and awkward expressions also hinted at it. “No one wants to be around me,” He said, trying and failing to hide the hurt in his voice. 

Lance's face turned sad in sympathy for Keith. “It’s just… there were lots of injuries in the battle, a few of them fatal. Some people didn’t want all the hurt people to be around the son of… you know.”

‘The son of death,’ Keith thought to finish Lances statement. 

“We tried to argue with them,” Allura said, “All of us did. Lance, Pidge, Hunk, even Chiron.” 

The fact that these people, ones that had only known him for a day or two, had stuck up for him made Keith feel warm, and he honestly wanted to start crying… again. Keith wasn’t following up his cool moments very well. First, he killed a gorgon while bleeding to death, then he passed out on a hill. Then, he raised armies of the dead to save camp, and after that he cried and passed out again on that same hill. “You did?” From all the emotional and physical exhaustion, Keith didn’t trust himself to keep a straight face. He could already feel his eyes sting with the tears he was holding back. 

“Obviously,” Lance said casually. “You saved camp, why wouldn’t we defend you? Chiron was actually mad at the people who wanted to move you. He gave them the signature disappointed-tail-flick.” 

“Thanks,” Keith rasped out, not daring say anything else.

He tried to move again, to at least swing his legs over the bed to get into a sitting position, but no dice. He got one leg over, but even that little action had stars dancing in his eyes. He gave out a grunt of both frustration and exhaustion and gave up.

“Man, what did you do back there at the battle?” Lance asked, noticing Keith's struggle. “It really tired you out.”

“Not only are you exhausted, but you almost died,” Allura added. “I’ve never sensed a life line so thin, but i couldn’t do much about it. It was weird, like that power took the life out of you.”

Keith exhaled sharply. He wanted to sleep some more, but he knew he owed them answers. But of course, he didn’t have many. “I’ve only ever done something like that once before, to some harpies not long ago. But that wasn’t nearly as big. All i did was open the ground and a few of the undead came up and shot down the harpies. After that, i was pretty tired and slept for a few extra hours. This time… i raised a whole army. I don’t know how i did it.”

“And then you got claimed,” Lance reminded him. It wasn’t necessarily something he wanted to remember, though.

“You said your father was mortal,” Allura said. 

Bitterness stung Keith's tongue as he talked. “I thought he was. I guess that wasn’t my real dad. And i guess my mom, my mortal mom, abandoned me as well.” Lance and Allura looked confused and slightly worried by his statement, but they didn’t ask for any elaboration. 

“Hades,” Lance said. The name made Keith's mouth go sour. “That means you're Big Three material. That explains why he didn’t claim you, he probably didn’t want to get into drama with his family.”

“Yeah, but why would he claim me now if it would start drama? Why didn’t he just keep me unclaimed?”

“Perhaps he knew you’d figure it out eventually,” Allura stated. “You said that you’d done that once before, he knew it was a matter of time.” 

“I guess,” Keith said with a sigh. All of this was starting to hurt his head. His dad, well, the man he thought was his dad, had sent him away when he was ten. Did that have anything to do with Hades? And who was his mother? There were so many questions that Keith wished he had the answers to. Hestia had told him that he’d learn about his past if he went to this camp, but so far all he was getting were more questions.

“There's a meeting tomorrow about what to do with the whole Hestia situation,” Lance explained, snapping Keith’s attention back to the two that sat in front of him. “You have to be there since you're a head counselor now. You know, of the Hades cabin.”

“Oh.” 

“There's still some time time left before it, though,” Lance said as he tapped his fingers on his legs. “I can bring you over to your cabin now so you can get some rest.” 

“I can't really walk right now,” Keith reminded him, “even talking is tiring me out.” He hated being so helpless. 

“I can help you over,” Lance said. He didn't meet Keith's eyes. Meanwhile, Allura was giving the two of them a weird look, like she was eating up their conversation. 

A million thoughts were going through his head. He would like to get to the privacy of his own cabin, even if that meant going to the Hades cabin, but he also didn't want to leave the comfort and sanctuary of the big house. The last thing he wanted to do right now was see people at camp. He wasn't ready for that yet. 

As If he could read Keith's mind, Lance spoke up. “Most people are either at Dining Hall, or the Infirmary right now, so if you want to be lowkey, now's the time to go.” 

Keith exhaled. He looked at these people who had healed him, and remembered how they said that they and their friends had argued for Keith. They had seen him raise the dead just as the other campers had, so why weren’t they treating him differently? “You guys really aren't scared of me?” 

“You saved the home I've had for four years,” Lance said, his voice getting a bit softer, “and you did it in a super cool way. What reason would I have to be scared of you?” 

“The other campers will come around,” Allura assured him. “They're not scared of you. They're overwhelmed by the whole situation with camp and they need someone as a sort of… scapegoat for their emotion. Unfortunately they chose you. Once things settle, they'll get over it.” 

Keith was grateful for these people, who had known him for so little time but stuck up for him regardless. “Alright,” he said with a small sigh. “Let's go.” 

Lance helped Keith sit up more, than roped one arm over his head and had the other one supporting his waist in the front. Keith was tempted to flinch at the physical contact he wasn't used to, but he let Lance hold him, knowing he'd definitely crumple to the ground without him.

The two of them made their way to the cabins, and Keith saw that Lance had been right. There were barely any campers walking around, except for a few stragglers who gave Keith an unfriendly glance when that saw him. Regardless, he was grateful for the emptiness.

Keith was already out of breath and they had barely walked ten feet. All his muscles felt like jelly and he had to really concentrate to get them to move. But currently, concentrating was hard when a good looking guy had his soft hands wrapped around him. 

While they walked, Keith thought back to the battle at camp. Lance had appeared next to him and said ‘i heard you tell Allura you're good with that knife. Now it's time to prove that true.’ he remembered how flirty, but downright intense his voice had sounded. His eyes had been dark and concentrating while he held his dark sword that reflected the light of the morning sun. It was just so… hot. 

Then, Keith had gone absolutely wild to show Lance what he was worth. He remembered how ambitious he was, adrenaline coursing through his body as he advanced on hundreds of monsters, carrying nothing but a knife. Lance stood at the sidelines, watching him fight hungrily. 

After that, he joined the fight, and wow. Keith has never seen anyone fight like that despite it being a standard Greek form. Lance had combined strength, agility, and awareness to fight, and with his charmspeak. He was a machine. 

Why had he been so affected by Lance in that battle? Was it just his Aphrodite charm? Or maybe it was purely battle adrenaline. In Keith's mind, a small voice was trying to say “it's because you think he's cute!” 

“Shut up,” Keith grumbled to himself, speaking out loud by accident in his exhausted state.

“What?” Lance said. 

“Nothing.”

After more sloppy walking, the two boys made it to the Hades cabin. It was dark, gothic, and basically looked like the house of a vampire. Keith could have groaned out loud if he had the energy. ‘The camp thinks i’m a freak and now i’m living like a freak,’ Keith thought.

Lance was practically dragging Keith by the time they entered the building. They both collapsed onto the closest bunk, a bed outlined in wood like a coffin. Lance quickly got up from bed and helped Keith get situated, his body no longer taking the commands from his head. 

Lance draped the black blanket over Keith's body. With his conciousness fadeing and any and all filter sripped away from his brain, Keith spoke up. “Why are you caring for me so much?” He said, his words mumbled. 

Stepping back and letting out a deep sigh, Lance said, “i don’t know,” as he stared in front of himself, his eyes unfocused. An with that, he gave one last look at Keith and left the cabin. 

He would have dwelled on that response longer, but his body wasn’t having it. His eyelids closed on their own accord and Keith was whisked off into another deep slumber. 

\--- Lance’s P.O.V: 

Lance made his way back to the big house to join up with Allura. God, he hopes Keith doesn’t remember anything when he wakes up. 

The past two days have been crazy. First, Keith was claimed after a huge battle at camp. Second, he passed out and was on the verge of death and Lance was the only healer that would even go near him. Meanwhile, small groups of monsters have been infiltrating camp so border patrol was hell. Lance hasn’t slept for more than three hours at a time for two days. 

Allura was making the bed Keith had slept in when Lance reentered the big house. He sighed and sunk into one of the comfortable chairs. Allura gave a small scoff towards his dramatic behavior and sat in the chair next to him. She raised an eyebrow with a small smile on her face, as if she knew something he didn't. 

“What?” Lance asked. She didn’t say anything but kept up her gaze. “You grinning at me isn’t answering my question.”

“You really don’t know?” she asked, her accent sharp.

“Apparently not.”

Allura placed her head in her hand with her elbow propped up on the chair, as if she was a gossiping twelve year old. “You have a crush on Keith, don’t you?”

If Lance had been drinking something, he would have definitely spit it out. A bit louder than he intended to, he said, “A crush? On him? You’re crazy!” Allura didn’t say anything so he kept on rambling. “He is rude and gross and has a stupid mullet and-and he’s a son of Hades! As if me, a beautiful son of Aphrodite would like Mr. Death Boy over there.” Allura still said nothing, but her grin was getting wider. “And i have a type! He is so NOT my type.”

“If i recall correctly, Hunk told me you said he was ‘Just your type.’”

“I- That was before i got to see how much of a jerk he is!”

“Oh c’mon, it’s obvious! I can see that you like him and i’m not even an Aphrodite kid.”

“Okay, if it’s ‘Obvious,’ give me some reasons why.”

“Hm, let me see,” Allura said, putting her finger to her lip in a sarcastic display of thinking. “You practically jumped out of your chair to help him and bring him to his cabin, when we were talking about how he raised the dead you straight up said ‘It was pretty hot,’ and don’t think i didn’t see your weird flirting before the battle. ‘Now it’s time for you to prove that true,’” Allura said in an over exaggerated imitation of Lance's voice. 

At her last point, Lance could feel a blush rush to his cheeks. In all honesty, he didn’t know why he had been all flirty before the battle. It was probably just the pre-fight adrenaline. Also, Keith had looked really good standing there with his kni- No. Nope. he looked awful. His choppy but perfect hair looked horrible. His stormy, purple eyes caught the sun and looked awful. That green army jacket that perfectly fit Keith's fit body type and made flecks of color stand out in those awful eyes were disgusting. Keith killing every single monster on that field with a blood curdling yell was totally… uh… not hot.

“It’s not only that,” Allura continued. “Every once in awhile you give him those lovey dovey looks from cheesy movies. Lance, you practically fall in love with everyone you meet, but there’s something different with Keith. You really like him, even if you don’t know it yet.”

Her face changed from mocking to sympathy. She had clearly thought about this a lot before bringing it up, and Lance knew she was just trying to help. He couldn’t help but get angry, though. 

“You said it yourself,” Lance began, “You’re not an Aphrodite kid. I am. I think i’d know if i had a crush on him, which i don’t. Don’t pretend to know everything about me and my love life, because you don’t,” he spat. “You have no right to tell me who i like and how i love. You’re not me.”

To be honest, he wasn’t mad at the part about Keith, he was mad at something else she said. ‘Lance, you practically fall in love with everyone you meet,’ she had told him. That hit a sore spot for two different reasons. One, it reminded Lance of all the failed romances he’s had. Sure, he can flirt and get into a relationship just fine, but he was just an Aphrodite kid. He was expendable and the people he dated hadn’t seen him as anything more than a prize. He was the hot Aphrodite kid some guy or girl ‘managed to land,’ as they’d say, but they never actually dated him for him. Two, it singled Lance down to the thing he didn’t want to be. Just a typical Aphrodite kid who did nothing but flirt with anything with two legs. The guy who just ‘fell in love with everyone’ like it’s some casual emotion. 

Despite his harsh words and angry tone, Allura still looked sympathetic instead of angry. Lance couldn’t bear the look, he felt pitied. A small part of his head told him to apologize to the friend he just yelled at for something she did with good intentions, but instead, he ran like he always does. With a bang, he left the big house and slammed the door shut behind him. 

He clenched and unclenched his fists as his mind was being eaten alive by contrasting thoughts. He didn’t have a crush on Keith. Did he? Was Allura right? He shouldn’t have yelled at her. Yes he should have, she was out of line. Maybe she was just being honest, though. Maybe Lance did just fall in love with everyone he saw. He was more than a dumb Aphrodite kid… right? 

Lance grunted with frustration and started walking. He didn’t know where he was going, but he just needed a distraction. After walking by the archery range, he found one. 

“Hey, Chiron!” He shouted when he saw the mentor. 

“Ah, hello, Lance,” Chiron said in greeting, shouldering his bow. 

“A half n’ hour ago Keith woke up, just thought you should know,” He told him, adding a little tone of disgust on the word ‘Keith’. He did NOT like him. “He’s in the Hades cabin now, sleeping. He’s totally wiped out, he could barely move.”

“I’m not surprised. Nico di Angelo would spend half his time sleeping after battles,” Chiron said with the same glint of admiration in his eyes when he talked about his old students. “I’d like to talk to Keith.”

“Good luck waking him up. When i- uh, i mean ‘we,’ you know Allura and i- brought him to the cabin he fell asleep the second he hit the bed.” That wasn’t exactly true. Keith had deliriously asked him why Lance had took care of him, which had gotten Lance thinking. He had replied honestly, he didn’t know why. Just like he didn’t know why he flirted with Keith before the battle. Allura popped into his head but he quickly shook out the thought. “We told him about the camp meeting tomorrow. Hopefully he’ll wake up by then.” 

“Okay. Thank you, Lance. You’ve been working hard recently, you should get some rest.”

He was about to argue and say he was fine due to the fact that sitting in a dark room left with nothing but his thoughts was exactly what we wanted to avoid. After Chiron said ‘rest,’ Lance felt the weight of everything lift up. Keith was okay for now, other campers could handle border patrol, and Lance seriously needed some beauty sleep. He bid Chiron goodbye and headed off to his cabin with one goal in mind: sleep. 

The pretty and glamorous cabin was empty besides him, all the campers occupied with jobs or hurt in the infirmary. He didn’t turn on any lights, he didn’t change out of his clothes, all he did was collapse into his bed. He did as Keith did and fell asleep almost immediately. 

But for demigods, that also meant dreams. 

Lance found himself standing on a beach. It wasn’t like the ones from cuba, though. This one was less tropical looking, full of ads and other corporate things, and it had a ton of white people in it, so that was a given.

Through the chaos of vibrant towels scattered across the entire beach, children running around and throwing beach balls, and sunburnt guys playing volleyball, Lance spotted someone who definitely stood out. It was a tall, muscular man in a suit, and he was looking straight at Lance. The man looked straight out of the mediterranean; dark hair, dark eyes, and deeply tanned skin that only comes with hours in the sun. He wore a black, perfectly tailored suit, but no one gave him any attention. 

He was standing a few feet away from Lance, but he started walking forward. It was at a casual pace, but the bulkiness and intense glare from the man caused fright to run down dream-Lance’s spine. He was frozen in place, and the man was coming closer, and closer, one more step and he was right next to Lance. He held out his hand to touch Lance and-

Suddenly it was night time. It was the same beach, and Lance was in the same spot, but darkness and the chill of night time was unignorable in the air. The man was gone, everyone was gone. The only thing on the beach was a fire, and when Lance looked closer, there was a woman. He walked towards her, feeling that it was the right thing to do. 

Once he got closer, he saw that she was young. Maybe twelve? Thirteen? The fire glistened off her dark skin. It rippled off the red velvet of her dress and shone against the strands of gold in her hair. Her face looked calm, but the eyes ruined the picture. They looked wild and scared. 

“Lance,” She spoke, his name sounding against the crashing waves. “Come to me, save me. It has to be you and him. It won’t work any other way.” 

He wanted to speak, to ask her what was wrong and who she was talking about, but his voice wouldn’t obey his heads commands. He stood there rasping out with no words forming. Before he could attempt again, the girl continued on. 

“You don’t have long. I don’t, either. Tell Chiron that his theory is correct, and that it has to be you.” Her voice was deep for a twelve year old, and Lance could tell that her once sweet and smooth voice had turned colder and deeper, probably because of whatever made her eyes look so wild. “It has to be you and him,” She repeated again, and then she vanished. It was like she was sucked into the fire that was next to her. Then, the fire crumbled, extinguishing the flame and leaving nothing but burning coals that glistened off the sand. 

“Lance… Lance… Lance,” a voice called out. He looked over and saw Keith. Despite the darkness, he was still recognizable. He looked slightly different, though. His lilac eyes were brighter, his hair looked softer, his clothes were clean and fitted.

He kept repeating Lance's name. It was soothing, it was calming. Then, he held out his hand and cupped Lances cheek softly. He could have melted into the touch. It was safe, it was warm, it was everything he needed. 

“Lance. Lance!” 

He was suddenly shocked awake by someone shouting his name. Only, it wasn’t Keith, it was Pidge with Hunk by her side. “Uh, wha’?” Lance murmured, too many things happening at once. 

“Dude, you’ve been sleeping forever. The camp meeting is in a half n’ hour,” Hunk said. 

“Really?” Lance asked. It felt like he had been sleeping for ten minutes, but according to Hunk he’d been asleep the whole day.

“Mhm.” 

With a start, Lance remembered his dream. “I have to talk to Chiron! Where is he?”

“Why do you need to talk to him?” Hunk asked with a hint of worry in his voice. 

Lance sighed, he owed his friends an explanation but he needed to get to Chiron. Not going too much into detail, he spoke. “I had a dream. I think i know why Hestia's flame is burning out.”

His friends looked understandably shocked, but Pidge came around quickly. “Chiron’s getting ready for the camp meeting. You should tell him there, in front of the other campers.”

Lance didn’t want to wait. He felt fragile currently, with only his full knowledge, as if one small thing would happen to him or the camp and he’d lose the crucial information. Reluctantly, he agreed. 

His friends left the cabin and Lance got ready for the meeting. He pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a new t-shirt and stood in front of one of the many mirrors in the Aphrodite cabin. His hands shook as he straightened out his sleep tousled hair. That dream had been… weird. The man in the suit, the girl he assumed was Hestia, the crowded beach they stood at, it had been a lot of information to take in. And now he had to share it with the camp. Of course he wanted to tell them, but for the first time in his life, Lance was getting stage fright. What if they passed it off as just a stupid dream that meant nothing? What if they didn’t listen to him because he’s just some Aphrodite kid, one that falls in love with everyone he sees? 

Lance took another deep breath and attacked his hair with a wet comb. He washed his face, tied his shoes a bit too tight, and made his way to the big house. He saw Keith leave the Hades cabin, looking groggy from sleep. He seemed better, but every few feet he had to stop to catch his breath. Lance was about to go over and see if he needed any help, until Alluras voice popped into his head. ‘You practically jumped out of your chair to help him,’ she had said. Lance exhaled with a bit of aggression. He didn’t like Keith, and if he needed his help, he’d be the one to come to Lance first. 

Lance walked into the big house rec room to see the familiar sight of chairs surrounding a pingpong table. Twenty chairs were present, but only half of those were filled. Since it was spring, a lot of campers were back home. Plus, a good amount of campers had fled after the battle. Camp was no longer the safe place it’s always been, so they left to look for something else. With so many people gone, half the cabins were empty and had no counselor to send to the meeting. 

Lance sat in the designated Aphrodite seat for cabin ten. Two seats away, Keith sat at the Hades chair. The Hermes and Dionysus cabins, which were the chairs that separated the two boys, were empty, leaving Lance and Keith essentially sitting next to each other. Looking over at Keith, Lance remembered how the moon seemed to reflect off his black hair. He remembered how despite only being a dream, he could feel the touch of Keiths hand on his cheek and how it made him feel warm even with Keith's cold hands. Lance shook the thought out of his head. He didn’t like Keith. He stared ahead with a rock hard expression on his face. 

“Campers,” Chiron began once everyone got there, “It’s obvious that we face a dire threat, but that’s never crushed us before. We can deal with this, but we need to take action immediately.”

“I think the first step is finding out what’s happening,” Sammy, the Athena cabin councilor said. “We can’t stop this if we don’t know what we’re up against. 

“I have a theory, but it’s not good,” Chiron told them. He looked older, despite being immortal. After closing his eyes and giving a deep sigh, he continued on. “I believe that the goddess Hestia has been-”

“Captured?” Both Lance and Keith said at the same time. People flinched when Keith spoke up.

“Precisely,” Chiron said, clearly taken back. “How did you know?”

Keith sat there with his arms crossed, clearly not wanting to tell them anything, so Lance opened his mouth and began to explain his dream. He told them about the beach and the man at it. He was slightly aware of his hands shaking again as everyone looked at him with serious expressions on his face. “Next to the fire there was a young girl there. I think she was Hestia.”

“What did she look like?” Keith asked, surprising Lance and making the campers flinch again. So far, he’d just been listening to Lance with an expression weirdly sad.

“Uh, weird question,” Lance said, “but whatever.” He explained how she wore a red velvet dress with dark braids going down to her waist. 

Keith gave a small nod. “That’s her. That’s the form she takes most often.” 

“And how would you know that?” Chiron asked, Lance wondering the same thing. 

“Doesn’t matter.” He nodded to Lance. “Finish your story.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Lance said while looking at his annoyingly beautiful eyes. He continued with his story. He explained how Hestia seemed panicked and rushed. He told them what she said and how she said it. He took a deep breath and explained how the fire had crumbled, leaving only glowing charcoal on the sandy beach. 

“And that was the end of the dream?” Chiron asked, 

Lance thought of the way Keiths hair had framed his face. He remembered how he leaned into his touch and felt like nothing else in the world mattered. He remembered the soft smile on Keith's face, such a difference to the brooding glare he usually held. “Yeah. That was it.”

Talking broke out amongst the campers as they tried to make sense of this new information. Lance stayed quiet, as did Keith who looked like he was deep in thought. Chiron had a distant look on his face as well, but after a few seconds he came back to his senses and shushed them all. 

“She said that my theory’s correct,” Chiron said once the room fell back into silence, “So now there’s no doubt. Hestia has been kidnapped.”

“But by who?” Lance asked him. “That dude in the suit, maybe? Who is he, anyway?”

“From what you explained, i think it’s Prometheus.” The quiet room got quieter as people sat still in shock. 

“the fire guy?” Lance asked after a few seconds. “I thought all the titans were dealt with after the war a bunch of years ago.”

“They’ll come back eventually, just like monsters in tartarus do,” Chiron explained.

“Well, what’s he doing?” Keith asked. He made eye contact with a few campers who immediately glared at him. Chiron looked around the room. It was clear that he knew the answer to the question, but he wasn’t sharing.

Lance took a deep breath. Something had been on his mind ever since he had the dream, and now was a good enough time to share it. He stood up and as everyone looked at him, he was tempted to sit back down. He didn’t. “I’m going on a quest,” he told them. 

After a few seconds of shocked silence, the Ares cabin counselor, Mason, gave a mocking sneer. “You? On a quest?”

Anger roared in Lance's head. He’s always hated the Ares cabin, who gave the Aphrodite kids the most crap. They should take a page from Clarisse's book, the old Ares counciler who’s only a summer camper, and befriend the Aphrodite kids. She had been best friends with Silena, the Aphrodite councilor who died for the camp in the Manhattan Battle. 

“Yes, me,” Lance said, his fists clenched. “I’ve been here longer than almost all of you. I’ve gone on quests before, all successful. I’m one of the best swordsmen and shooters here, and don’t even try to deny it. Also, who did Hestia visit in her dream? Moi. who did she say ‘it had to be’? Moi!” He hadn’t realized how loud or fast he had been talking until he finished out of breath with everyone in the room looking at him.

Chiron was the first to speak up. “I think Lance is correct. He’s been summoned by the goddess, we can’t ignore that. And if we do nothing, life at camp will cease to exist.” A smile spread across Lance's face. He squinted in disgust at the Ares kid and sat back down in his chair. “Lance, we’ll speak in private later. I have information that will be vital to the quest.”

“Wait,” sammy said. “Lance said that Hestia told him ‘It has to be you and him’. So who is ‘him’?”

They all looked to Lance for an answer, but he really didn’t know. He was about to open his mouth and tell them that, but a sharp gasp interrupted him. 

Lance looked to his left and saw Keith with his eyes wide as if he had just realized something. “It’s me. I have to go on this quest.”

“Why would it be you?” Mason asked. When the Ares kid had questioned Lance’s place on the quest it was full of mocking and disbelief. Being said to Keith, the tone was utter anger and disgust. 

“It… it just is.”

The Apollo councilor spoke up. “You knew that Hestia had been captured, you knew what she looked like, and now you're saying you need to go on this quest. What are you hiding?” The whole room was clouded with tension and anger, and it was directed at Keith.

“You’re right, i am hiding something. But why would i tell it to a bunch of people who turned on me for saving your stupid camp? You obviously want me out of here, so let me go on this quest. Who knows, maybe i’ll die on it. I’m sure you’d all like that,” Keith said, calm anger stinging each word. Lance had learned to read people's emotions over the years, and even though Keith masked it well, he knew that he was just trying to cope. He was biting back with anger to cover up the fact that the campers truly bothered him. There was such a small hint of pain in his voice. Lance knew that he was hurting. 

“You better watch what you say, Kogane,” Mason growled. 

“Why should i?”

“Because i’m about ready to teach you a lesson or two.” He sounded tough, but every few seconds he glanced down at the ground as if to check for undead warriors. 

“Bring it on. I’ve faced enough monsters in my life for you not to scare me. I have to say though, you definitely are uglier than a lot of them.” 

“You’re askin’ for it now!”

“Ugh!” Lance in anger. “Will you two stop!” He watched as the charmspeak washed over the two. Keith immediately relaxed in his chair with his eyes glossed over. It took a bit longer for it to work on Mason, but sure enough he relaxed as well. “That’s better. Chiron, what do you think?”

Chiron exhalled. He looked like a stressed father. “I think that there is a lot of information to take in right now and we’re all scared. In the end, Lance, you pick who will accompany you on the quest.”

Keith looked at him expectantly. So did the rest of the room. Lance knew that one answer wouldn’t please anyone. He needed time, he needed to think things over, he needed guidance. An idea popped into his mind. 

“Before i make a decision, i’d like to speak to the oracle.”

************  
Lance was making his way back to the rec room only ten minutes later. Rachel Elizabeth Dare recently graduated college and was far away from camp, so her and Lance had to have a fairly awkward skype call. Of course, using phones and electronics is like sending out a solar flare for monsters, so Chiron had to put even more people on border patrol.

Lance felt weird to hold up an ipod and ask his destiny to the girl. It was even more weird when the fog came out of her mouth and her voice doubled as she spoke a prophecy. He had wanted to just turn the device off and walk away, but reluctantly he listened. 

When she finished, she just looked at Lance and said, “Damn, that sounds dark. Later!” And left the call nonchalantly. 

So there Lance was, Walking into a rec room with so many thoughts on his head he felt like he’d pass out. Did he regret taking this quest? Maybe a little. It wasn’t comforting to know that he might be the one to destroy the camp, and he certainly wasn’t enjoying who he had to take on the quest. 

“So?” Chiron said once Lance sat down. All eyes were on him. Keith seemed to be dying from the anticipation. 

“I got the prophecy.”

“...and?”

Reluctantly, Lance recited it. He was thinking about leaving some lines out, but he really needed some guidance right now. He thought the oracle would give him that, but boy was he wrong. 

He took a deep breath and began, stuttering on a few words.  
“Two will travel south to a place holding love,  
The Dark Helm and the Beautiful Dove.  
Their fears will spread and d-destroy the fire.  
Despite the hardships, they’ll… they’ll end the liar.  
On this journey one thing will be crucial,  
It’s the meeting of the Dark and the Beautiful.” 

There was silence through the room. No one knew what to say. Lance understood, he didn’t even know what to make of it. Even with fear beating at his heart, Lance did what he did best and tried to break the tension.

“‘The Dark Helm and the Beautiful Dove.’ That must mean our parents, you know, dove for Aphrodite. I’m very flattered that the oracle sees me as ‘beautiful,’ but Keithy boy, it looks like you're with me. ‘Dark Helm’ for Hades,” Lance said. 

“So you’ll have me then?” Keith asked. 

Lance gave a long exhale. “As much as you annoy me, it looks like i don’t have much of a choice. The oracle was pretty clear that it had to be you.” Keith looked confused at what Lance said, but there was a small smile on his face at being accepted on the quest.

“‘Their fears will spread and destroy the fire,’ The Apollo councilor recited. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“You’re tellin’ me,” Lance said. That line is the one that stressed him out the most. Did ‘destroy the fire’ mean Hestia's flame? Because if that’s the case, not good. He couldn’t bear being the reason camp died. 

“But what about us ‘ending the liar’?” Keith asked. 

The Athena councilor, Sammy, spoke up, though she didn’t seem thrilled about answering Keith. “Maybe it means Prometheus? If he kidnaped Hestia, he’d be hurting humanity, which he had helped all those years before. Maybe him putting us in danger is somehow making him a liar.” Lance saw Chiron squint his eyes as if Sammy had said something right. 

Unorganized chatter broke out among the group again, but Lance didn’t join it. The line he had been thinking about the most was the ending, how it was somehow crucial for Keith and Lance to meet. Was there more to it? Some sort of hidden message? Lance didn’t know what to think, but he kept remembering the conversation he had with Allura about his supposed crush on Keith. It was ridiculous. He didn’t like Keith, and even if he did (which he didn’t) it had nothing to do with the quest… right? 

After the chatter had gone on for a few minutes, Chiron silenced the group. “This is a lot of information to take on, and i'm sure Keith and Lance are feeling overwhelmed at the moment. Boys,” he said, addressing the two, “We’ll talk in private about when you’ll go, where you’ll go, and your timeline. Get some rest for now.”

As soon as Chiron stopped talking, Mason, who had been looking very angry during the whole conversation about the prophecy, spoke up. “So that’s it? we’re just going to send a floozy Aphrodite kid and an untrustworthy Hades boy on a quest to save camp?”

“What are you trying to say, Mason? You think i can’t do this?” Lance asked before Keith could say anything. Irritation was running up and down his spine. Every second that he looked at Mason's face, anger flowed deeper into his body. 

“Are you kidding me? You’ll be too busy making out with the closest person to kill any monsters,” He gave out a mocking laugh that made every muscle in Lance's body burn in rage. “Take the hint, Lance. You’re not a powerful demigod.”

Lance stood up so fast his chair fell over behind him, Allura’s words, ‘You fall in love with everyone you meet’ echoing in his head. His fists were balled. 

“You wanna go, McClain?” Mason asked, standing up as well. “Fine. Show me what you got.”

“Boys, that’s enough,” Chiron said, but it was like he was invisible.

Mason threw a punch. Lance dodged it and gave a quick jab to the Ares kid’s gut. The other campers were too stunned to take action while Chiron continued to scold them. Mason doubled over in pain, and Lance went in for another strike. Unfortunately, his head was fogged with anger and aggression. If he had a clearer head, he’d realize that he was more agile but weaker than Mason, so he’d dodge his attacks and let him tire himself out. Instead, Lance went all agro and tried to attack again. 

Mason grabbed Lance's hand before he could hit him, and put him in a headlock. Lance tried to kick at him, but the guy was like a brick wall and Lance could barely breath with Mason’s iron grip around his throat. A few campers were about to get out of their chairs to get the boy off him.

Lance cleared his mind. He managed to put enough charmspeak to his wheezy voice to say “get off.” Mason wearily dropped him. Lance would not be embarrassed by Mason, he had to stand his ground. This guy thought he wasn’t powerful? He had no idea.

With every single bit of power and energy he possessed in his body, plus a bit of anger to fuel him, Lance said, “Mason, sweetie, slap yourself in the face for me.” Even though this Ares kid didn’t find Lance attractive, the charmspeak was so powerful at that moment that he did it with no hesitation. His own hand hit his cheek so hard there was a handprint there. The room was silent, but Lance wasn’t done yet. “Now, punch yourself in the face.” He punched himself so hard that blood started to form next to the handprint. 

The room was still silent. Chiron seemed to be so stunned that he wasn’t even trying to separate the two anymore. With the anger subsiding, Lance was starting to feel bad, so before the guilt fully caught up with him he cleared his throat and addressed the whole room. “Anyone else wanna question my place on this quest?” Some shook their heads no, some just remained still in their seat. Keith looked utterly bewildered. “Good.” With that, Lance left the room with tears threatening to spill down his face. 

\---Keith’s P.O.V: 

Saying he was overwhelmed was an understatement. The day had brought so many new revelations and events that Keith couldn’t even process it all. First, there was Lance's dream, then there was the fact that he was going on a quest, where he and Lance are gonna kill Hestia because of their ‘fears spreading’ or something. And then, to top it off, Lance got in a fight with that Ares kid. 

That had been a surprise. Sure, Lance seemed excitable and hot headed, but Keith thought that was just an act. He had gotten so mad at Mason, and he must have really wanted to hurt him if the charmspeak was so strong. To be fair, even though Lance had stood up, Mason threw the first punch, and he was practically suffocating Lance in that headlock. But that slap and punch to the gut at the end? That wasn’t self defense, it was an act out of pure anger. When Lance left the room after, he seemed… weird. He looked pretty broken up and upset, which wasn’t the emotion of someone who just won a fight.

Afterwards, Chiron had a kid take Mason to the infirmary to get his cheek bandaged. Then, looking angry and disappointed, the centaur had trotted off to another part of the big house, probably his study, to think things over. Keith was the next to leave, not wanting to stay around those campers a second longer than he had to. 

Keith walked to the dinning pavilion, realizing that lunch was being served and that he hadn’t eaten anything but ambrosia since he’d woken up from his two day long snooze. He sat at the Hades table and ate with his head down, pretending to not notice the campers glaring at him. Then, there were people with him. Sensing movement, Keith looked up to see Pidge and Hunk sitting at the table

“Uh, hi,” Keith said. 

“‘Sup,” Pidge answered. 

“Are you… supposed to be sitting here?” Keith asked them with his eyebrow raised. 

“Chirons not here, so why not?” Hunk answered. “Can we not sit with a friend?” Keith could have choked on his food at the word ‘friend.’

Pidge, however, was less patient than Hunk and showed the true reason they were there. “How was the meeting.”

Keith was tempted to sneer. Of course they only came for information, they didn’t actually think of him as a friend. Though, Keith remembered what Lance and Allura said, how the two people in front of him had argued for Keith when everyone else didn’t want to be around him. “It was eventful. Why don’t you just ask Lance?”

“We can’t find him anywhere,” Hunk answered, which Keith understood. “How ‘eventful’? What happened?”

Without looking up from his plate, Keith answered. “Hestia’s been kidnapped, Me and Lance are going on a quest together to free her, and Lance got in a fist fight with an Ares kid.”

Out of all that information, the two were the most surprised by the last thing. “Lance got in a fight?” Pidge asked. “Our Lance? Aphrodite kid, cuban, about yay high?” she said as she demonstrated his height with her hand. 

“The one and only.”

“What happened?” Hunk asked. 

Keith began to explain how Mason had called Lance a floozy and said he wouldn’t do well on the quest. He explained how they got in a fight right there in the rec room and in the end Lance had charmspeak the other boy into hurting himself. 

“Ah, now i get it,” Hunk said once Keith finished. “Lance is nothing if not prideful.”

“The guy doesn’t like to be challenged,” Pidge agreed. Keith thought back to what Allura had told him in the strawberry patch, about how Lance felt threatened by Keith, so he was trying to prove himself. 

“I can’t blame him, though. If i was there, i would have punched Mason myself. The guy doesn’t know the first thing about Lance,” Hunk said. Keith said nothing and went back to eating his food. A few seconds later, Hunk gasped as if just realizing something. “Wait, Hestia's been kidnapped and you and Lance are going on a quest?”

Keith found it amusing that they were so swept up in their friend’s behavior that they forgot about their camp dying and a goddess being kidnapped. He explained to them what had gone down in the meeting, and as he did he thought about a few things himself.

When Lance had said that Hestia told him ‘It has to be you and him,” everything made sense. This is why he was sent to camp half blood. This is why Hestia had told him that at camp he’d find people who need him. These people need help saving their camp, and apparently it was Keith who was the one to do that. Despite his bitterness to the campers who turned on him, he had to help the people who hadn’t. She also told him that he’d need the people at camp as well, but why? He didn’t need them, he was managing just fine on his own. Well… they did save his life after the gorgon attack, but that was mostly just Lance. 

Keith couldn’t help but be bitter at Hestia. The only reason she sent him here was so that he could help her. She needed him, and she manipulated Keith to get him here. She probably lied about Keith's dad wanting him to go to camp, as well. But now, he couldn’t help but wonder. Was she talking about the man Keith thought was his dad, or was she talking about Hades? 

“That’s one hell of a prophecy,” Pidge said when Keith recited it. “Any idea what it means?”

“No,” Keith replied honestly. “You’re the Athena kid, you tell me.”

“I thrive on logic and strategy,” she said with her hands up, “Not stupid riddles. Ask an Apollo kid.”

“No thanks, i'm pretty sure no one in this camp would be keen on helping me in any way,” He mumbled, bitterness in his voice. Their expressions turned sad and Keith could tell they were about to try and say something nice and uplifting, but Keith wasn’t particularly in the mood for emotions. “So, yeah. We’re going on a quest. Chiron said he has more information for us but i don’t know when he plans to talk to us.”

Just then, Allura plopped down at the Hades table as well. 

“Do any of you sit at the tables you’re supposed to sit at?” Keith asked. 

“Relax, i’m just delivering a message. Chiron wants you to go over to the big house, but he said to wait outside for him,” She said, as if on cue to what Keith was saying earlier. 

“Alright, thanks,” Keith said, pushing aside his plate and getting up. “Enjoy my table,” He said sarcastically to the three half bloods still sitting at the Hades bench. He glanced back and saw all three of them talking about something in hushed tones. There was a blueprint that Pidge placed on the table, but he couldn’t make out the shape on it. When they noticed that Keith was looking back at them, they fell quiet and gave him a weird smile. He ignored it and walked on.

Keith did what he was told and stood outside the big house, leaning on the porch with his arms crossed. Every once and awhile a few campers would walk by, see him, and mumble something like ‘him? On a quest?” Keith tried to ignore it. 

Keith could hear voices inside, but now they were becoming a bit louder, and unable to stop himself, Keith eavesdropped. He put his back up against house so he could hear better.

“-can't believe you would do something so idiotic!” Chiron's voice sounded. 

“But he came at me first, all i was doing was protecting myself! What should i have done? Let him kill me?!” the unmistakable voice of Lance said. He sounded both angry and desperate. 

“People were getting up to help you! Those two blows at the end were totally uncalled for.”

“Well, Mason deserved it. I suppose i should have just let him keep talking shit about me? About Keith?” Keith gave a sharp exhale. Lance was defending himself… but he had been defending Keith as well? 

“Yes, you should have. You know what Mason is like, you gave him exactly what he wanted. You got angry and you acted on it.” Lance didn’t reply, so Chiron continued on. This time his voice was quieter and less angry. “I know he hit a soft spot for you, Lance. But know that he’s only part of the minority of camp that believes you’re not powerful. I told you before, you’ve really proved yourself here. You can’t get angry at every single little person who doesn’t believe that.”

“I know,” Lance said in a sigh. 

“I hope that what happened today will not happen again. I’m very disappointed in you.”

Lance muttered, “whatever,” but he sounded close to tears. 

Keith heard Chiron's wheelchair roll over to the door on the porch. Quickly, Keith jumped forward and tried to make it look like he hadn’t been listening. He put his elbows on the porch railing and looked blankly at the lake.

“Keith, thank you for waiting,” Chiron said once he swung the door open. “Please, come in.”

He stepped inside and saw Lance standing there with his head down and his arms crossed. Lance glanced over at Keith, who saw that his eyes were red. Lance didn’t just sound close to tears, he actually was crying, at least a little bit. Lance turned so he was facing away from Keith, probably to compose himself. After a few seconds, he spun back around with dry eyes and asked, “So, what’d you wanna tell us about the quest?” in a display of fake enthusiasm.

“Right,” Chiron said, avoiding Lances gaze. He probably felt as bad about yelling at Lance as Lance was at being yelled at. “You two must go to that beach that Lance saw in his dream. The prophecy spoke of a ‘place of love,’ and you will find it there.”

“Great, where is it?”

“Florida.”

Lance gave out a small snicker, still with sad eyes, though. “Florida is a place of love? Let me get this straight. Hestia, the goddess, is being held… in florida?” 

“Precisely. You see, with places like Universal and Disney, it’s the warmth and love there that lured Hestia. I believe Prometheus somehow used those things to call upon Hestia, and captured her when she came.” 

“Well if there’s warmth and stuff, isn’t that Hestia's power? Shouldn’t she be powerful enough to escape the fire dude?” Lance asked. 

With a sigh, Chiron said, “I don’t know. All i know is that if they were anywhere, it would be florida.”

“What else is there?” Keith asked, speaking for the first time in the conversation. “During the camp meeting it looked like you knew something that you didn’t want to share with us all. What is it?”

“I’m not the only one hiding information, though, am i?” Chiron said, though with kind eyes. 

Keith went into defense mode before he could stop himself. “I don’t see how my ‘information’ is relevant at all. I’m the one on the quest, not you, so if you have information for us, now’s the only chance you’ll get to share it.” 

Despite Keith's rude tone, Chiron didn’t fire back. All he said was, “fine.” then, he took a deep breath and looked back and forth at the two boys in front of him. “I believe i know prometheus’s motive.” He ignored the shocked look on Lance and Keiths faces and continued on. “After the titan war a few years back, he got angry when the gods won. They imprisoned and killed his brethren, and they did the same to him. They put him back in his old torture position, chained to a rock with vultures surrounding him. But with the Hestia situation, i can only guess that he somehow escaped his punishment, and now he’s angry.”

“But by capturing Hestia, he’s only punishing camp half blood,” Lance pointed out. “How does that get back at the gods?”

“That leads me to deliver the worst news,” Chiron said. He seemed to have aged ten years in this conversation. “I didn’t tell the camp this because i didn’t want them to get scared, but i think the worst is still to come. It starts with camp, but soon enough it will spread. Warmth and fire will fade from existence, leaving humans with nothing. He’s stealing what he gave to humans years ago. And once the humans are gone, there will be no one to worship the gods, and without that, they’ll die out.” 

“And you couldn’t have told me this before i took the quest?” Lance exclaimed. He mumbled something in spanish that sounded like a cuss from its tone.

“But, without humans, wouldn’t the titans die out as well?” Keith asked. 

“I guess he’s okay with that if it means getting revenge. 

After a few seconds of the two boys silently absorbing the new information, Lance spoke up. “What’s our first move? And wait, how are we supposed to find one beach in the entire state of florida?”

“Keith’s necklace will help point you in the direction sometimes, but the rest of it is up to you.”

“When should we leave?” Keith asked. “And how long do we have?”

“I wouldn’t advise leaving later than tomorrow morning,” Chiron said with no hesitation, having clearly thought about this beforehand. “And with the way things look right now, i’d say we have only a week until Hestia's fire burns out not only at camp, but for the whole world.”

“Great,” Lance said with a sigh. “No pressure or anything.”

“I wish you both luck,” Chiron said. “This won't be an easy task, but i know you both are the right people for it. Remember, don’t stress over the prophecy, they always have double meanings.”

“Thanks, Chiron,” Lance said. Although he sounded sincere, he didn’t meet the man's eyes, showing lingering feelings of hurt at their previous conversation.

The two boys went to leave, but Chiron called out, “Keith, could you stay for a minute?” Keith remembered the conversation that had been interrupted by the battle days earlier, and how Chiron speculated on the necklaces true origin. Keith also remembered how he had slightly yelled at Chiron only minutes ago. He assumed he would get a scolding for that, but Chiron spoke with a kind tone, and what he said wasn’t what Keith was expecting. “Like you said in the meeting, you are hiding things. I know it has to do with Hestia and that necklace, and i guess your past. I can’t force you to talk to me about it, but secrets aren’t a good thing to keep. They’ll drive you insane, and they’ll keep you isolated. If you don't tell me what you’re hiding, i suggest you find someone you can confide in. Lance, for instance. He’s a good friend to have.”

“Lance?” Keith asked. Chiron was the second one to tell him that Lance is a good friend, but Keith didn’t see how. “I don’t think he likes me very much.”

“Well, you’re going on a quest together, maybe he’ll warm up to you,” Chiron said, a twinkle of intelligence in his eyes. “You’ll do good on the quest, Keith. And know that you have a home at camp half blood, even if it doesn’t seem like it right now.”

Keith still didn’t know his feelings on camp half blood. There were so many good things about it, but the bad things stood out as well. If only his stupid dad, Hades, hadn’t claimed him, there wouldn’t be as many bad things. Keith had told himself that he was going on this quest to get away from camp, but was that true? Maybe he actually did want to save this place.

“Thanks,” Keith said, trying for a meaningful smile.

After leaving the Big House, Keith had nothing else to do, so he took some time for himself to leave his mind open for thought. There were so many things to think about, but he hasn’t really gotten time to breath, to process it all and let himself come to terms. He sat behind his cabin, concealed by its shadow. There weren’t many people around anyway, border patrol stretched the camp out pretty thin, especially after Lance's video call. 

Keith thought about the prophecy. The line that understandably bothered him the most was the one about his fears spreading and supposedly killing Hestia. Chiron had told the two boys not to think too hard about the prophecy, but how could they not? The key to understanding that line was to know their fears. But Keith didn’t know what his biggest fear was. 

He tried to think. He’s been on his own in a monster filled world for seven years, so he wasn’t scared of much. Of course, fright is a natural human emotion that everyone feels, but those years in the real world had just made him accustomed to things like monsters, and spiders, and pain. So it had to be bigger, something emotional. It was on the tip of Keiths tongue, but he couldn’t figure it out. 

He started to think of what he felt here at camp. Before Hades claimed him, camp seemed perfect, but there was a small nagging feelings, something imperfect. The protective barier around camp was great, the constant food and shelter were great, but what bugged him was the idea of having cabin mates and constantly being around people. He wrote that off as him just being a loner, but what if it was more?

His father abandoned him, which had hurt more than any injury he’s gotten from a monster. He had loved his dad, or whoever that guy was, and then he left. He always had to leave the people he befriended, and it tore at his heart each time, so Keith made a silent agreement with himself to not get close to anyone else. Then he met Shiro, the best friend he’s ever had. He had given Keith a place to live, he dealt with his violence and coldness, and he had trusted Keith even though he told him nothing about his life and was a living mystery. Then he had to leave, because of Hestia. 

Maybe that was his fear, abandonment or being taken away from the ones he loves. It made sense. He no longer got close to people in the fear that they’d leave him, or he’d leave them, or they’d betray him, or… That was it. Keiths spine straightened as he came to a realization.

Keith’s fear wasn’t abandonment, it was getting close to people. He was scared of love in general because of so many things that could go wrong. Love made him fragile, it was an accident waiting to happen, so Keith didn’t let himself get close enough to people to potentially love them. 

That would explain things. Even though Keith wanted to go on this quest and he’s the one who volunteered to go, while he stood there with Lance in the big house, things sunk in. Something felt wrong, there was some itch in the back of his mind that was warning him about the quest. It didn’t want him to go, and he felt that itch whenever he looked at Lance, and especially when Chiron was talking about how their relationship would stabilize on this quest. He didn’t want to get close to Lance. He didn’t want to become friends with Lance or fall in love with Lance or have any relationship with him. And on this quest, they’d be alone and together for a week. 

Keith had thought it before, but he knew that whatever feeling he had for Lance, they weren’t neutral. He knew that he felt someway towards the boy, whether it be friendship, romantic love, or hatred. And weirdly, Keith was desperately wanting it to be hatred, because he didn’t want to love Lance. He didn’t want to love anyone. 

Keith didn’t know how to react to this new realization. Honestly, he just wanted to laugh because of how weird the situation was. He was sitting outside, in the shadows, wondering “hm, what’s my biggest fear is?” and he managed to therapist himself and figure it out. What he still couldn’t figure out was how a fear of love could kill Hestia, or ‘destroy the fire.’ Sure, she thrives on warmth and fire and all that, but Keith still didn’t understand how that could spread and kill her.

“What are you doing?” Someone said, standing above Keith and snapping him away from his own thoughts. He looked up to see that it wasn’t one person, it was a group of them. Hunk, Pidge, Allura, and Lance all towered over him. 

“Uh, sitting,” Keith replied obviously.

“Well, duh, i mean why are you being all emo and lonerish on your last day here at camp?” replied Pidge. 

“What else am i supposed to be doing? Not like anyone here at camp wants to even be around me.”

“We do, idiot,” Allura replied. “C’mon, let's go hang out like a normal friend group before you two go on a dangerous, life threatening quest with goddesses and titans and monsters.”

“I- uh…” Keith's heart jumped at the word ‘friend group.’ he’s known these people for only a few days and has been anything but kind to them, but they see him as part of their group. Keith didn’t know if he should feel grateful for how warm they were being, or guilty for intruding on their friend group. There was also the whole matter of his biggest fear, which he just figured out. Now that he’s aware of it, should he try and break his fear of love by getting close to these people, or should he stick to his morals and continue on his path of being a loner? 

Fortunately, he didn’t have to make a decision. Pidge had stepped forward and taken Keith's hand in an iron grip and pulled him up. As much as he tried to recoil from the unfamiliar touch, Keith couldn’t slip her. “C’mon, let’s sit by the lake. We have gifts for you and Lance.”

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be on border patrol or something?” Keith asked. 

“If Chiron finds us i’ll just start fake crying about how you and Lance are going on a dangerous quest and how i’ll miss you,” Pidge said. 

“Chiron knows you well enough to know they’re fake tears,” Lance said, speaking up for the first time. He seemed quiet and distracted. His mind was probably as full of thought as Keith’s was.

“Hm, you’re right. Allura, you do the crying.”

“Why me?” Allura asked. “Have Hunk do it, he’s a softy and he’s known Lance the longest, Chiron would definitely believe him.”

Hunk smiled, clearly not upset with them calling him a ‘softy.’ “I would be honored to shed fake tears to get out of work.”

After a bit more walking, the gang arrived at the lake. Keith had never been a water person, but he couldn’t deny that the scenery was beautiful, as long as he didn’t get wet. They all plopped down on the grass in a lopsided circle, Keith a bit farther away than the others. 

“Since you two are going on a big quest, we couldn’t send you off empty handed,” Hunk began. He gave one of the boxes he carried to Lance, who immediately took the lid off and looked inside. His eyes were wide and there was a grin on his face as he pulled out a gun. It was a grey, simple desert eagle. “Designed by Pidge, forged by me, enchanted by Allura. It shoots celestial bronze bullets, and it’s enchanted to never run out of ammo. I also added a switch on the side so if you flip it, it’ll shoot soundlessly. I don’t know why you would want it to make noise, but if you do, i left you that option.” Lance looked completely at a loss of words. He was just examining every little bit of the gun and pointing it at no clear targets to test out how it felt.

“You’re a shooter?” Keith asked. “I thought you were a swordsmen.”

“What, i can’t be both?” Lance asked, being snapped out of his daze by Keith’s question. 

“Na, it’s just you as a shooter is kind of…” Super hot. “Cool.”

“Uh, thanks?” Lance said, probably wondering if Keith had given him a compliment. “Y’all, this is the best gift i have ever received,” he told the group. “I don’t even know what to say. You guys are the best, i’ll miss you.” He dove forward to give the three of them hugs, which was hard to do in their sitting positions. Keith didn’t know if he imagined it or not, but Lances hug with Allura had been a little awkward, as if there was a hidden grudge between them.

“Here’s yours,” Hunk told Keith, handing him the second box after the group finished hugging. He didn’t know what to expect, and when he opened the box he still didn’t know what he was looking at exactly. There was a knife sheath and a black woven bracelet with a red pendant. “We made the sheath for that knife you already have. The knife will always appear back in it if you lose it, and Allura enchanted it with mist to be invisible to mortals. The mist naturally covers swords and stuff, but since it’s not too weird to carry a knife around, the mist doesn’t naturally cover it, as i'm sure you’ve figured out over the years.” He was right. Keith couldn’t remember how many times he’s been kicked out of malls and restaurants for having a knife on his belt. The gift seemed too good to be true. “As for the bracelet, we thought you might want to have some variety, so if you touch the pendant, it will transform into a sword.”

Keith tried it. He put the bracelet on and touched the red pendant. And like Hunk said, the next second there was a sword in his hand. It was a long, simple greek sword made of black, stygian iron. It was well balanced in his hand and had a perfect length. “These are perfect,” Keith said, truly shocked at how amazing the gifts were. “Thank you guys so much.” 

“It was nothing. We took the pendant idea from Percy Jackson’s sword, riptide. For the sword design, we modeled it after Nico di Angelo’s sword. He was another son of Hades,” Pidge commented. 

“We had Lance’s gift mapped out a bit because it was supposed to be his birthday present, but we had to hurry to built it and design your gifts,” Allura commented. 

Keith couldn’t believe that they had worked so hard for him, despite only knowing him for no longer than five days. The gifts were so perfect, almost no one in Keith's life had ever put that much thought and effort into something for him. He found himself grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t help it. 

“Woah,” Lance said. “I think that’s the first time i’ve actually seen you genuinely smile.” He was looking at Keith with intense but light eyes. It reminded him of the look he had given him before the battle days earlier. He weirdly felt drawn to Lance, like he was the only one next to the lake with Keith, like there was nothing else that mattered but him. Keith quickly refocused. Lance was probably just doing… weird Aphrodite stuff. 

Allura cleared her throat, which made Lance break his gaze and turn his attention to her. She gave him a knowing smirk while he gave her some angry expression. They went on to have a whole conversation with just facial expressions while the others watched in confusion. 

“But uh,” Lance continued after breaking his gaze from Allura. “These presents are insanely cool, i can’t thank you enough.”

“Just make sure you came back to us, okay?” Hunk said.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Uh oh,” Hunk said with a quivering lip. “Guys, i think those fake tears are turning into real ones.” 

“C’mon, big guy, let's go get you some dinner.” Allura told Hunk. “Pidge, come with us so these two can plan… and stuff.” Lance gave her a weird glare.

“Why? We can just help them plan,” Pidge said. Allura elbowed her in the ribs. “Ow! Fine, geez woman.” The three got up, hugged Lance again with various calls of ‘goodbye,’ and ‘don’t get killed on your quest!’

The two boys sat there in the grass, alone. After some awkward silence between them, Lance attempted at a conversation. “So… a quest, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Are you, uh, exited?”

“I guess.”

“We actually should plan, though. I mean, we haven’t really talked about how we’re gonna get to florida.” Although he was being talkative, Keith still thought something was off with Lance. It was like his enthusiasm was sucked out of him. It could have been because of the fight with Chiron, or the fact that he had gotten in a fist fight today, or that he was going on a dangerous quest in the morning. Huh, A lot had happened today. Whatever it was, Lance seemed preoccupied. 

“What about flying?” Keith suggested. 

“Nah, zeus would kill you on the spot,” Lance said nonchalantly, as if saying ‘nah, i’m not hungry.’

“Oh… boat?

“Where would we even get one of those? Besides, we don’t know where in florida we need to go. It would be hard to follow your necklace thing from a boat.”

“Great,” Keith sighed. “So that leaves car, bus, or train. But we don’t even have money.”

“Can you shadow travel?” Lance asked.

“Can i what?”

“I guess that’s a no.” Lance flopped fully to the ground, his back to the grass as he stared up at the clouded sky. “Sometimes Hades kids can travel by transporting to another shadow.”

Keith had been hearing a lot about Hades kids, like that guy, nico, and it got him wondering. He asked his question out loud before he could stop himself. “You guys talk like there’s been a lot of Hades kids around here. If that’s the case, why is everyone so scared of me?”

Lance exhaled and ripped away at some grass. “There really hasn’t been many Hades kids. Just nico. And kind of hazel, but she’s a daughter of pluto, which is a long story. It’s like Allura said, people are scared because of the camp situation so they directed that towards you. And besides, people were really scared of Nico until he completed a big quest and brought that huge statue of Athena back to camp.”

A big quest, huh… maybe this quest would work like nico’s did. If he succeeded and saved the camp, these people would actually like him. But, Keith didn’t care whether they liked him or not… right? Well, if the campers liked him and the camps protective barrier was restored, this place would be a perfect home. It would be safe, and Keith could be happy here. Maybe he did care. 

“Anyway,” Keith said, trying to derail the subject he brought up. “I don’t think i can shadow travel, or i havn’t tried at least. I don’t really know what i can and can’t do.”

“It’s okay,” Lance said, sitting back up. “I mean, shadow travel would be faster and it’s pretty cool, but i can just charmspeak someone into giving us a car or something.”

“Isn’t that stealing?”

“Would you rather the world end and the gods be destroyed, or for some guy to keep his car?”

“Point taken.” 

“So, steal a car, travel to florida, follow your necklace, kick ass on the way there, and free a goddess,” Lance said. “We got this.”

“Yeah we do,” Keith said with a small smirk. Him and Lance held eye contact for a few moments. Keith couldn’t break the gaze, as if the world had paused. He was suddenly aware of every spot of blue in Lance's eyes, and how deep they went. He saw a softness in them.

Lance broke away first. He cleared his throat and went back to picking grass, and something seemed off. “I should, uh, go pack. I’ll see you at dinner?” Lance said. He kept his head down, but Keith could see a bit of his face. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were hard, differing from the lightness he had just seen in them. He looked guarded and angry. But why? And who was he angry at, Keith or himself? Lance continued to be an unsolvable puzzle, and it was ticking Keith off. 

“Yeah, i guess.” 

Lance stood up, his new gun in hand, and made his way to his cabin.  
______________________

After an uneventful rest of the day, Keith went to bed in the Hades cabin.

His dream was a simple one, basically combining all of his thoughts in one scene. First, there was his dad, or the man he had believed to be his father. The scar on his eyebrow caught the light. Keith perfectly remembered his tough looking face but kind eyes. “There are things you don’t know about me, son, but the truth will come out on your quest,” he said in the familiar southern draw. “You have to know that i had my reasons…” 

Before Keith could even reply, the vision of his father scattered like smoke in the wind. The smoke reassembled to form Hestia. She looked as she usually did, her elegant red dress complimenting her dark skin, her brown eyes intelligently looking forward. “Don’t get sidetracked, get here soon,” she said. Although she looked calm, there was the smallest hint of panic to her voice. “He’ll try to slow you down, he knows you’re coming. Stay on track.”

Again, her form dissolved. Keith was prepared for it to take the form of another, but he didn’t expect who showed up. The smoke swirled until the tall figure of Lance stood before him. There seemed to be a slight glow surrounding him, and he didn’t realize it at the time, but all his favorite parts of Lance were accented. His eyes were more piercing, his sharp features were framed, his bangs were messier. He looked at Keith with those light, kind eyes he’d seen when they sat at the lake earlier. “You need to talk to me,” he said with the same sweet voice as when he charmspeaked someone. “Don’t succumb to your fear, get past it. It’s the only way you’ll free her.” He reached out his hand and touched Keith's cheek. His touch was warm, it was soft. 

And then, Keith was awake. The door of the Hades cabin swung open, and Lance was standing there, the real Lance. Keith wasn’t even sure he was fully awake yet, until Lance spoke up and his voice lacked all the sweetness it had in his dream.

“Rise and shine, we have a deadly quest to go on,” he said, swinging the door shut a second after. 

With his mind bustling with the vague statements from his dream, plus the straight up confusion on seeing Lance in the dream and at his door, Keith got ready. He pulled on a fresh pair of black jeans and a black shirt that were in the Hades cabin closet. Along with that, he put on the green army jacket and pointy boots from the Aphrodite cabin. He put his new knife sheath on his belt and he tightened the black bracelet around his wrist. After shouldering the backpack he had bought at the camp store and running his fingers through his tangled, black hair, he took one last look at the Hades cabin then closed the door behind him. 

There were no campers out and about, so Keith assumed it was pretty early in the morning. He saw Lance standing next to Chiron on top of half blood hill, so Keith walked up to join them. Chiron was in horse form and Lance was standing there in a maroon shirt tucked into the same acid washed jeans he wore a few days prior. His sword and its sheath was slung over his shoulder and his new gun was clipped onto his belt. 

“So, this is it,” Lance said, looking down at the camp. He looked sad as he bid farewell to camp. “I’ll see you soon, Chiron.” 

“I hope so,” Chiron replied. “I believe in you both, make me proud.” with kind eyes he shook Keiths hand and gave Lance a warm hug, any evidence of their fight the day earlier long gone. And with a last ‘good luck,’ he galloped down the hill, leaving Keith and Lance standing there alone. 

“You ready?” Lance asked him. 

Keith took one last look at the home he’d had for so little time. He’d do good on this quest, he’d prove himself to the campers. He would make this home perfect.

Keith looked over at Lance, whose face was framed by the light of the sun rising over the horizon. “Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so so much for reading! Please like and comment, feedback is what keeps me writing and i actually die with joy at each comment. Also, i have a lot more where this came from so please bookmark and subscribe to keep up with the story! 
> 
> A lot happened this chapter and i had to set up lots of stuff for what's to come in the story, so sorry for it getting a bit confusing. next chapter will be focused on the Quest and we'll see more of the dynamic relationship between our two boys :) (also, Shiro will come up again in the story ;))
> 
> Next chapter will be up in two weeks, see you then!
> 
> tumblr: Lanceisthebest


	3. Two Travel West to a Place Holding Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two boys begin their journey and soon enough, they have an interesting lead. While traveling, they meet both fearsome and intriguing monsters and have to use their wits, skills, and powers to best them.
> 
> Both of their minds are running wild with internalized feelings and secrets they'd do anything to keep, especially when Keith finds a potential lead on his past and when Lance makes a decision that has Allura's words repeating themselves over and over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so fun to write and is defiantly one of my favorite chapters of this fic. I love writing action so much and i really got to go deep into the minds of our two boys. 
> 
> Enjoy!

\---Keith’s P.O.V:

Things were going fine until the big snake appeared. 

Lance and Keith had taken one of the Camp Half Blood vans, disguised as a strawberry delivery truck, and had been driving for about two hours. Keith was the one behind the wheel.

After some argument on what music to play, they settled it by just turning on the radio and listening to whatever came on. Keith didn’t know how Lance knew the music, but he hummed along to the tune perfectly.

Lance fidgeted restlessly during the first hour and had tried to come up with a plan for the quest, but with their lack of information they couldn’t think of much. Lance must have tired himself out eventually because he fell asleep and stayed that way for the second hour of the drive. Every once in awhile, Keith stole a glance at the boy. His mouth was opened slightly and his chest rose with each breath he pulled in. Keith enjoyed the guy a lot more like that, you know, quiet and not throwing out a sassy remark every few seconds.

Not having anything else to do, Keith thought about the quest. So many wild things had led up to this point. Gorgon attacks, his father being revealed, Hestia being kidnapped, and it went on and on. All that lead up to Keith behind the wheel with a sleeping Aphrodite boy. Despite being the one that volunteered for it, he wasn’t sure why he was on this quest, and he didn’t know what to expect from it.

Sure, if they succeeded they would stop the world from ending and save the gods, but what’ve the gods ever done for Keith? He had better things to be doing right now, like maybe trying to find his friend, Shiro, or somehow starting his long awaited investigation into his past. He sighed deeply. He didn’t even know where to start his search. If he hadn’t found anything in the ten years he’s been alone, why would he find anything now? And besides, his only lead, Hestia, was captured and would die if the two boys did not succeed here.

He looked over at a sleeping Lance. Keith wasn’t thrilled about being on this quest with him. They’d be spending a week together, always around each other. He was a pretty annoying guy, and Keith wasn’t particularly one to hang around people at all times of the day. Whenever he had to live with other people, he’d stay out until the late hours of the night or stay hauled up in his room, whatever he had to do to avoid the others. Plus, There were a lot of things going on in Keith’s mind, like the fear of love he’d only recently realized he had. Lances presence here wasn’t helping Keith sort himself out. If anything, he was just confusing him.

Keith focused his attention back on the road, trying to rid his mind of the thoughts that he’d been pondering a lot for a long time. That’s about when things went south. They were on a long road surrounded by grass fields with no other cars or people in sight. One second the road was clear, and then something long shot out of the grass. Keith squeaked with surprise and quickly turned the steering wheel, making the van skid to a stop after threatening to turn over. 

Lance woke up with a start. “What? What’s going on?” 

Keith was still trying to register what happened, and he was having even more trouble registering the sight infront of him. In the road, there was a giant snake with heads at both ends. It was at least thirty feet long, and it was a sickly green color. It was stretched out on the road in front of them, blocking their path.

“Uh, a giant snake almost made us crash,” Keith answered Lance. 

“Should we get out of the van?”

“I… don’t know,” Keith answered.

Then, both heads of the snake turned to look at Keith and Lance. “Get out of the van,” Both heads spoke in a disturbingly human sounding tone. 

“I guess that settles it,” Lance said. The two boys opened their door and stepped out, stepping a little bit closer to the giant snake monster. “Is there something you want?” Lance asked with some hesitation in his voice. 

“We don’t desire much,” one head said, slithering forward, “Just your head on a stick.”

“Quiet, Amphis,” the other head spoke, sounding irritated. “Geez, why would you tell them that?”

“I’m just being honest.” 

“What you’re being is unnecessarily creepy.”

Lance and Keith both shared a confused glance. “Are you guys, like, cousins of Hermes’ snakes, Martha and George?” Lance spoke, confusing Keith even more. 

One head, the one that had been called ‘Amphis,’ let out a disgruntled sigh. “You know, everyone thinks that. Not all conjoined, dynamic snakes are related to them. It’s a stereotype. Do you know how hurtful stereotypes are?”

“I’m a bisexual latino,” Lance said, “I think i get it.” This situation was getting weirder by the second. 

“Uh, who, or what are you?” Keith asked.

“We’re Amphisbaena,” The other head spoke up, “but you can call me ‘Baena,’ and her ‘Amphis.’”

“You’re… what?” Keith asked.

“Amphisbaena. You know, formed from the blood of medusa's decapitated head, yada yada,” Amphis said, cleary having answered this question many times before.

“Oh yeah, totally. I know you guys, definitely,” Lance lied. “Now can we, i don’t know, leave?”

“Unfortunately not,” Baena said, flicking his tongue dramatically. “We’re under strict rules from Prometheus himself.”

“And i’m guessing that your order is to have our ‘heads on a stick’?” Lance said, his hand hovering over the gun on his belt. 

“Now you’re catching on!” Amphis said. Faster than Keith expected, she flung forward and spat fire, which would have burnt Keith if he hadn’t quickly dove out of the way. 

Lance pulled out his gun and Keith pressed the pendant on his new bracelet, transforming it into a long, stygian iron sword. Lance faced Amphis while Keith fought with Baena. Both boys were agile and fast fighters, but so was the snake. Both sides spun quickly, trying to crush the boys with its massive weight. There was also the matter of the fiery breath that had Keith's clothes slightly singed. 

After a while of fighting without even leaving a mark on the monster, Keith pulled out his knife so he had two weapons; a long range blade and a short ranged one. The snake was too fast and close by, so Lance put away the new gun and pulled out his bronze sword that caught the light of the morning sun. 

Keith made a dangerous move he didn’t even know he could do. In a burst of energy, he backhandspring off the ground, his hands landing on the monster's head, and his body landing on the snake's neck. He wrapped his legs around the snake to keep his balance as Baena tried to fling him off. It reminded Keith of when he had straddled that gorgon on Half Blood Hill. 

He drove the knife into the monster, making Baena screech in pain. The snake flung Keith off its back and he landed hard next to the grass field. He got up quickly, and the monster looked angrier now. 

“Keith!” Lance called. He was cradling his sword arm while Amphis looked as angry as Baena. Keith guessed that Lance had stabbed the snake but gotten bitten in the process. “Now would be a good time to use your weird death powers!”

“Why don’t you use your weird Aphrodite powers?”

“This is a snake, i don’t think it really has a concept of beauty!”

Keith tried to focus and open the ground like he did at the battle only a few days ago, but the situation was too hectic. Baena spat fire every few seconds, making it hard for Keith to focus, all while he was worried about Lance, who was looking a bit pale. 

“Ah, Keith Kogane, son of Hades,” Baena began, slightly shocking Keith. “We’ve heard about you. You’re past is quite a story. And man, the gods have very mixed opinions on you.”

“You know about my past?” Keith said, momentarily forgetting he was in a fight. His mind went back to what he was thinking about when he was driving, about how he had no leads in his search for information. Lance was still fighting Amphis, but he wasn’t doing well. 

“Mhm, we know all about it. The gods really screwed you over. If you knew what happened, you wouldn’t be very keen on finishing this quest of yours and saving them.”

Anger was rising in Keith’s throat. For seven years he had been wondering what happened to his dad, moreso now that he knew it wasn’t his real father. Why had he been sent away? Who was his mother? There were so many questions he had been burdened with from such a young age, and this monster could give him answers. He needed a lead, and this monster could give him that.

The monster lunged forward, trying to take advantage of Keith’s shocked state. But unfortunately for the monster, Keith’s reflexes took over. He sidestepped and brought his sword over the monster's head. He was in perfect formation to cleanly decapitate Amphis, but instead he brought the flat part of the sword down on its head with all his might, trapping the monster between the hard pavement and Keith's iron sword. 

“Amphis!” Baena called out. 

Even though he was hurt, Lance managed to take his gun out and point it at Baenas head with his long sword limp in his other arm. “Make another move and i’ll shoot.” 

“Tell me about my past,” Keith growled. “Now!” he was so angry that the earth beneath them was shaking, which seemed to scare the Amphisbaena even more. 

“We can’t!” Amphis called out. 

“We swore on the river styx,” Baena added. 

“And we don’t even know the full story!”

“Then tell me where i can get the full story or else i’ll open the earth beneath you and send your ass straight to tartarus!” Keith yelled again. Unintentionally, he made a few cracks open in the ground around them. Lance was stealing looks at Keith every few seconds with a face full of pain and a hint of fear. He looked strong with his gun pointed at the snake, but his complexion was a whole three sHades lighter than it normally was and his sleeve was drenched in blood. 

“He’ll kill us!” Both heads of the snake said. 

“If you haven’t noticed, we’re about to kill you,” Keith pointed out. “So you better start talking.”

Baena tried to get loose from Keith's hold, but he just pressed his sword down harder on the monster's neck. Lance cocked his gun for extra effect. The two sides of the snake made eye contact, as if having a private conversation just through a glance. 

“Fine,” Baena said. “We’ll tell you, but will you let us go after?”

“We’ll see,” Keith said simply. 

The Amphisbaena didn’t seem overjoyed with his answer but complied anyway. “There’s a wind nymph named ‘Lectorem,’” Baena started. “She used to be a messenger for the gods, but they fired her for being too talkative and telling people the gods messanges. Now she’s working for Prometheus. She knows where he is and she knows about your past.”

“Where is she?” Keith asked. Neither head spoke, hesitating to deliver the information they needed. In a monotone voice, Keith said, “Lance, shoot Amphis.”

“What?” Lance asked in surprise. 

“Shoot the snake. Maybe that will get Baena to talk.”

“No, please!” Baena called. 

“Or maybe i'll decapitate Baena,” Keith growled, digging his sword in a bit deeper. 

“Stop!” Amphis called. 

“We’ll tell you!” they both said at the same time. 

“She’s in Tennessee,” said Baena. 

“You’ll find her at a restaurant called ‘Angeliafóros.’”

“A resturaunt?” Keith asked. 

“It’s how she talks to her clients without drawing attention from the gods,” Amphis explained. “When you get there, ask for ‘lecto,’ and she’ll come out and talk to you. She’ll know who you are, but if you offer her something good she probably would betray Prometheus and tell you what you want to know.”

“That’s all we know, i promise!” Baena pleased.

Anger still bubbled inside of Keith. The ground continued to shake and it was doing so more violently now. Keith couldn’t bring himself to lift the sword off the monster's neck and every instinct he had was urging him to drive it forward and evaporate the monster. That is, until he looked over at Lance. 

Lance had already put his gun back in its holder and backed away from amphis. He looked about ready to pass out. “Keith, c’mon,” he said. His voice was soft, but not charmspeaked. When Keith heard it, the anger was almost sucked out of him. Still, he didn’t know if he should let the snake go free. 

He glanced back over at Lance, then he looked back at Baena. With a grunt of frustration, he lifted the black sword off the monster's neck and watched as the snake shot back into the grass fields it came from. With a deep sigh, Keith taped the bottom of the sword to transform it back into a bracelet. He put his knife back in its sheath and started to walk towards the van that had luckily not been damaged.  
________________

The two boys sat in the back of the van together as Keith bandaged Lance. Keith had been right about Lance's injury; when he stabbed Amphis, the snake brought down its large teeth on Lance's arm. There were a few deep cuts on his bicep, all of which were bleeding heavily. The good news was that he didn’t get blasted by fire, but the bad news was that there seemed to be poison in the snake's bite. It didn’t seem to be fatal, but it was causing Lance a lot of pain. 

“Ow,” Lance complained as Keith dabbed at the cuts. 

“Dude, i can’t press any lighter than this.”

“I know, i know. Can i at least have some ambrosia and nectar?” 

“Oh, yeah.” Keith reached into his pack and brought out a bag of the godly food he bought from the camp store. Lance chewed on it happily as Keith worked with the gauze and bandages. 

After some silence between the two, Lance spoke up about something. “Back at the fight, when you told me to shoot Amphis, you weren’t being serious, right?” he asked, his voice hinted with hesitation. 

“I was just trying to get them to talk,” Keith said, trying to rid his voice of emotion. The truth was, that was his intention at first. He had just wanted to get the information, but the longer he kept up the act, the more he actually wanted to kill the snake. It was a monster after all, but Keith had kind of scared himself. He didn’t want to hurt anything he didn’t have to. Perhaps he was what the camp made him out to be, a scary son of the death god.

“Cool,” Lance said, clearly not knowing how else to respond. 

Keith’s mind was racing as he thought back to the reason he had threatened the monster: Keith’s past. He had a lead, he had when he needed. It was much more important than this stupid quest, and he’d be damned if he didn’t seek out the truth he’d wanted for so long. How should he leave, though? He’d abandon Lance, who for sure wouldn’t want to seek out the nymph, and then he’d have to find a ride to Tennessee. How would he sneak away from Lance? Perhaps he could w-

“So, Tennessee, huh?” Lance said, interrupting Keith’s thoughts. “We can probably get there in about two days, maybe a bit more. We have to find some sort of offering though. What would a wind nymph even want?” 

“...You’re serious?” Keith asked. “You’re really gonna seek out the nymph?”

“Why wouldn’t i?” Lance asked, stretching his injured arm with a slight wince. “It’s a much better option than just wandering around, following your necklace. That would cost us time that we don’t have. And don’t you want to get whatever information that monster had about your past, or whatever?” Lance added.

“Yeah, i guess,” Keith said, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal.

“So it’s settled,” Lance said. “We’ll go to tennessee and find the wind lady. You’ll get your info and we’ll get Prometheus’s location. On the way i’m sure we’ll face a bunch of monsters, and we need to find some sort of offering for the lady.” 

Keith was having a bit of trouble trying to comprehend all that had just happened. A giant snake attacked their van only two hours after leaving camp, they had an actual plan for their quest, and Keith had the biggest lead he’s ever had on his past. He was slightly glad that he didn’t have to abandon Lance and go off on his own, but he didn’t know why. Perhaps he’s done enough running in his life. Or maybe he would’ve felt bad about leaving Lance, which made zero sense, because Keith didn’t care for him much. Ugh, he was too overwhelmed to think about all of this. 

“Sounds good,” Keith said, putting away the first aid kit and trying to clear his mind. “I think i grew up in Tennessee. i haven’t been there in years. Or maybe it was Texas... i can’t remember which. Or maybe it wa-”

“How do you forget the state you grew up in?” Lance asked, a deeply confused look on his face.

“I don’t know, it was a long time ago,” Keith said. He was only ten years old when he left, after all. Maybe he should remember… Is it bad that he didn’t?

“Uh, okay… We should probably hit the road,” Lance said, changing the subject but still looking kind of worried. “I feel fine, well, actually i feel horrible but i probably won’t die, so we’re good to go.”

“Okay,” Keith said simply, still trying to remember the state. After a while he gave up and blamed a bad memory, but something seemed… off. 

 

They drove in silence for a while, Lance in the passenger seat and fidgeting around, trying to find something to do. Keith had been told that a lot of demigods had ADHD and dyslexia. Lance must be one of the ones with ADHD. Keith's friend, Shiro, had had that as well. 

He wasn’t one to start conversation, and he certainly wasn’t interested in Lance's life, but Lances fidgeting and humming got a bit annoying so Keith gave him something to talk about. “Where did you grow up?”

Lance quit playing with the frayed side of the bandage on his arm and immediately started talking. “I lived in cuba for a few years,” he began. “I had a pretty big family down there, and I really liked living there. Then, when i was about nine, my dad got a great job offer in America so we had to move. A few of my family members moved with us but a lot stayed down in Cuba. We used to go back and visit them every year, but now that i’m in camp i can’t really do that.” His expression turned a bit sad, but he snapped out of it when he saw Keith glance at him. “America’s great, though. I really like it up here. I still have beaches and all that in montauk.”

“Nice,” Keith said simply. He cleared his throat and looked straight ahead at the road. “And they’re, uh, okay with you being, you know, bisexual?” 

Lance let out a small laugh, as if it was an amusing question. “Yeah, they’re chill with it, which is great.”

“Yeah. Cool. That’s great.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You’re not straight, are you? As an Aphrodite kid I have a spot on Gay-dar.”

Keith almost drove the van right off the road. He’d never really thought about that. Afterall, he didn’t really date much. But thinking back, it was always guys that turned his head. He’d admired them more, pictured him and them being together more. Dating wasn’t a priority when you were being chased down by monsters, and there was also the whole matter of his newly realized fear of love, but whenever he did picture him and someone together, that someone was always a guy.

“I guess i’m not.” He looked over at Lance, who had a strange reaction to his answer. At first he looked a bit happy, but then his face turned to stone, as if he was scolding himself for his first reaction. Keith decided not to dwell on it. 

They drove on and watched as the sky turned orange to show the setting sun. Every once in awhile they would strike up a small conversation, which would last for a few minutes and be followed up by an hour of silence. Their most recent conversation was about Lance's friends, which Keith was actually interested in.

“I’ve known Hunk the longest. He’s usually not a summer camper. He’s just an all rounder this year because his cabin was working on some big project and they needed him. He’s one of the best builders they have,” Lance said, and Keith didn’t doubt it. He looked down at the knife sheath and bracelet Hunk had made with. “He’s kinda the mom friend of the group.”

“I’ve known Pidge and Allura for two years,” Lance continued on. “They’re both year rounders because of some bad stuff that happened with their families. Pidge is the brains of the group and is super smart. She’s also like the living embodiment of the emotion ‘sarcasm.’ Allura is also kind of the mom friend. Well, she’s more of the annoying sister who’s always in your business and making assumptions about you when she doesn’t even know what she’s talking about.” The description was weirdly specific and the anger on Lance's face showed that he was definitely indirecting on something that happened with him and Allura. He didn’t ask, though. 

“They all seem like good friends.” 

“They are. They have totally helped me survive my time at camp.” Lance spoke with a small glint in his eyes, showing obvious admiration for his friends. “What about you? You have any good friends?”

Keith exhaled deeply. “Not really. I’ve moved around a lot, so i don’t really get to make any friends. I’ve had one or two very close ones, though.” Lance looked at him expectantly, waiting for an elaboration, but Keith didn’t give him one. Ever since realizing that Keith was the one who had been distancing himself from other people, things fit into place. He now understood why he was so withholding and distant, and he caught himself isolating himself while it happened. 

The most confusing part was that he didn’t know if he should fight it, or embrace it. The fear he had was reasonable and made sense. Love made him fragile, and you can’t be fragile with the life Keith lived. Still, he found him looking at friends groups like Lances and wishing he had those relationships. He wished he had someone he could put his trust in and confide in, which was a luxury he rarely got. The prophecy had spoken about the two boys fears and how it spread to destroy ‘the fire,’ but Keith still didn’t understand. Then there was the matter of what Lance had said in his dream… his dream! 

He had totally forgotten about it with the groggy overlay of the morning, the snake attack, and Lances hurt arm. His father had been in it and told Keith that he had a reason for abandoning him, and that Keith would find out the truth on the quest. Then there was Hestia, who warned Keith of prometheus's potential diversions to get the two boys sidetracked. Lastly, there had been a glowing Lance. In a sweet voice he told Keith to talk to him, and that getting over his fear would free Hestia. 

Keith filled Lance in while they drove, telling him about his father and Hestia's mesanges. When he got to the part with Lance, he spoke as vaguely as possible. 

“Then, someone appeared and told me that getting over my fear is the only way to free Hestia,” he said. 

“Who said that?”

“Uh, one of my old friends.”

“Oh,” Lance said, his face unreadable. “What about your fear, do you know what it is?”

Keith looked back at the road and replied with a simple “No.” Even with dream Lance telling him to talk to real Lance and get over his fear, Keith couldn’t bring himself to do it. How could he go seven years being alone and distant, to telling his biggest fear to someone he met only a week ago? This whole ordeal was frustrating him beyond belief. He wished he could go back to the way things normally were, working alone and keeping to himself without any emotional burdens or wrestling with his fear. 

“Do you know what your fear is?” Keith asked. 

“Sorry, man, but i’m fearless. I’m invincible and i’m not afraid of anything.” 

“Look out, there’s a spider right there!” Keith called out, faking. 

Lance let out a shrill scream and kept asking “where? Where? I swear to god i’m gonna burn this van to the ground, where is the fucking spider!?”

Unable to help himself, Keith let out some uncharacteristic laughs. It wasn’t even that funny, but Keith had tired eyes from driving and he hadn’t laughed like that for a long time, so he didn’t try to stop himself. Once Lance realized that there was no spider, he looked angry for a few seconds, but then he started to chuckle along with Keith’s wheezes. 

Keith realized that Lance was looking closely at him, as if reading a book off of Keith’s face. The atmosphere in the van was strange, but resembled the one that was present when they were alone at the lake and their eye contact had lingered a bit too long. Keith managed to come back to his senses and ask “what?” to Lance, who was still looking at him intensely. 

“I- uh, nothing,” Lance stuttered out. He turned his head to face away from Keith and started to play with the bandages on his arm. The atmosphere had quickly turned cold, a strong difference from the light one that was there only seconds ago. 

“So, what do you think my dream meant?” Keith asked a few minutes into the silence. 

“Well, if you’re supposed to find out stuff about your past, then we’re on the right track on seeing the nymph,” Lance said, still facing away from Keith. 

“But Hestia said that there were diversions being sent out way. What if the nymph is just some ploy to slow us down?” Keith dreaded that. Could this all just be a trick, purposely trying to lure Keith away from the task at hand with some empty promise of information?

“There’s no way of telling now, but i think we should go see her. It’s on the way, and if we get Prometheus’s location, we could get there faster than following the necklace.” 

“I guess you’re right,” Keith said, hoping he was.

“I’m always right,” Lance said, a bit of his large personality seeping back into him after acting so weirdly closed off. “I can drive if you want. You should get some rest.”

“I thought you can’t drive.”

“I pick things up quickly. How hard could it be?”

“I don’t know if it’s such a good idea…”

“Relax,” Lance said with a small laugh that seemed to run all the way up Keith's spine. “I’ve driven before. I’ve been on other quests and spent a little time at the wheel. There’s only, like, a thirty percent chance i’ll crash this car.”

Keith flexed his hand, which was sore from it’s time at the steering wheel. “Fine, but wake me up soon, especially if your arm starts to hurt.” He pulled over and the two boys switched seats, Lance driving and Keith riding passenger. Keith pressed his head against the cold window once the two were situated and Lance started driving. Eventually, the slight hum of the moving car on the hard road fully lured Keith into sleep. 

\---Lance’s P.O.V: 

What an eventful day it’s been. Snake attacks, semi awkward car rides with Keith, and suspicious leads for their quest, all in a few hours. 

Lance was sat at the steering wheel, his injured arm limp at his side and his other arm driving. He silently hummed along to the songs on the radio with occasional looks at Keith, sound asleep in the passenger seat. In his sleep he rolled over so his leg was propped up on the window and his head was set on the arm rest. Every once and awhile he nestled his head against Lances elbow, which was on his own arm rest. Lance wished he had a camera to document Keith, the great son of Hades, who apparently is a cuddler. 

Late at night, driving in a car with a sleeping passenger, Lance had nothing to do but let his mind wander, and with all the events of today, there was a lot to think about.

He thought back to the Amphisbaena attack. Keith had been pretty scarey after he found out the monster knew about his past. The ground had shaken beneath him, threatening to swallow all three of them into the earth. Keith had threatened the big snake, holding a sword to its neck and telling Lance to shoot it, his voice full of cold truth despite Keith denying it later. Lance remembered how dark his eyes was, how his eyebrows were furrowed in anger, how his hair was whipping around from the long island wind as he fought.

Keith must’ve been insanely angry to have made the ground shake like that. It had started when the monster said he had information about him and his family. Lance couldn’t figure out anything about the guy. When Lance had been talking about how he grew up, Keith hadn’t commented at all on his past, except for a vague statement about the state he grew up in, which he didn’t even remember. After Keith had woke up from his two day slumber, he mumbled something about his mother ‘abandoning him as well,’ after he found out his father hadn’t been his real one. 

Keith seemed to know a lot about Hestia, as well. He knew what she looked like, he had a necklace with her flame in it, and he had straight up admitted that he was hiding something. His life was a mystery to Lance, and apparently to Keith as well if he was desperate enough to get that information. Lance understood, though, and that’s one of the reasons he made the decision to go to tennessee. Lance had been wondering about his mother all his life, and when he was on his own, alone and scared, he was wondering what he was, and why these monsters were tracking him. Lance knew a thing or two about unanswered questions, and he wanted to make sure that Keith got the answers he needed. 

And, of course, they needed to get Prometheus’s location. That was the most important thing, and that’s the real reason he was going to see the wind nymph. He didn’t care about Keith, obviously, he was just a burden to the quest. Allura was obviously wrong about him, and he didn’t like Keith. He didn’t ‘fall in love with everyone he sees.’ Keith made a small, content little hum in his sleep and rubbed his head against Lance’s arm. His hair was weirdly soft. Lance wasn’t blushing… the car was just humid.

Unable to help it, Lance thought back to his dream with Hestia. He remembered Keith on the beach, a small glow surrounding him and his eyes light. He had cupped Lances cheek, and despite the cold touch, it made Lance feel warm, like every vessel in his body was burning up. He had leaned into the touch, so desperate for more, and then he had waken up. It was weird, but it hadn’t meant anything… Right?

He tried to push the subject of ‘Keith’ out of his mind and instead he focused on the throbbing pain of his arm that burned with each bump in the road he hit. Lance stretched out his bandaged arm to reach for the ambrosia in the dashboard of the passenger seat. He had to reach over Keith to get it, and right as he did he hit a big pothole, accidentally hitting Keith. 

“Why is your arm on me?” Keith mumbled groggily, his eyes opening. 

“It was an accident, dum-dum.” Lance got the ambrosia and popped a square in his mouth. 

“Where are we?” Keith sat up in the seat and ran his fingers through his messy hair, taming it in seconds. 

“Almost to Philadelphia.”

“Really? How long have i been sleeping?”

“A few hours. It’s six a.m. We should stop and get some breakfast.”

“I’m up for that, i haven’t eaten all day.” 

Lance pulled into a twenty-four hour dinner with a few cars parked in the parking lot. The sides of the restaurant were made of metal, the builders obviously going for a sixties kind of vibe, despite it not matching the town at all. 

While still parked in the lot, the two boys did a quick clean up. Keith brushed his teeth, spitting out the window and onto the asphalt below them, while Lance pulled on a new shirt, one that wasn’t soaked in blood and that would cover the bandage on his arm. 

The two boys walked into the dinner and was seated by an unenthusiastic waiter that clearly was not thrilled with working a shift this early in the morning. Once they were out of earshot, Lance spoke up. “A quick recap. We are going to tennessee to some restaurant to talk to a nymph who will tell us where we need to go, right?”

“Yeah, geez, stop stressing.”

“I just want to be clear on the plan, okay? I’m not messing up my big quest. And besides, there are still things we need t-”

“Can i start you gentlemen off with drinks?” A voice said, interrupting Lance. He looked up and his jaw almost dropped to the floor. One of the prettiest girls he’s ever seen was standing there with a dinner apron on and a notepad in hand. She was about Lance's age with black wavy hair flowing down her back and framing her symmetrical face. Her makeup was perfect with no imperfections at all, and accentuated her kind, dark eyes and full lips. 

“I- uhhh…” Lance stuttered out, taking in the site. He quickly got his wits back and began to speak with flirt hinting in his voice. “Two coffees, please. I’ll take your number as well.”

The girl gave a small chuckle, but it held no malice or mocking tone. “You’re sweet.” She finished writing the drink order and walked back to the kitchen. Lance turned his neck to watch her until she fully disappeared from his viewpoint. 

“You’re drooling,” Keith joked. 

“Shut up,” Lance muttered, a blush in his cheeks. All thoughts had been slapped from his mind by the beautiful girl, and the point he was going to make to Keith was since forgotten. Not soon after, a different waiter came to give the two their coffees and take their orders. 

“Why do you need a plan? We should just wing it,” Keith said once the cost was clear. 

“Sorry if i don’t want to ‘just wing’ the quest that will determine the saving or the end of the world. I’m not one to ‘just wing’ things.”

“Winging things was basically all i did when i was by myself for those years,” Keith said said with a distant look on his face while taking a sip of his coffee. 

Maybe it was the tiredness that stripped his mind of a filter, or it could be the fact that he wondered this ever since meeting Keith, but he found himself talking before he could stop. “Dude, what even happened in your childhood?”

Lance immediately thought ‘uh oh,’ because he thought Keith was about to yell. He put his coffee back on the table a bit too hard and furrowed his eyebrows in an emotion Lance believed to be anger, but Keith just stared distantly past Lance, hesitated a few seconds as if he was having a conversation with himself, and muttered “none of your business.”

Lance didn’t reply and instead looked at the television, which was playing the news. At first he wasn’t paying attention to any of it and was just pretending to watch it so he didn’t have to talk to Keith, but he tuned in for a few words and saw some interest in it. 

“This spring is significantly colder than most,” the identifiable voice of the reporter stated. When Keith saw Lance watching with interest, he turned around in his seat to watch as well. “There are lots of different opinions on why this is. Some meteorologists are saying it’s just a freak occurrence and that it doesn’t mean anything, while others are saying that it’s a very serious side effect to global warming. Whatever the reason, bundle up because it isn’t getting any warmer.”

“It’s because of Hestia, isn’t it?” Keith asked, all traces of their awkward conversation long gone.

Lance nodded. “Maybe we have less time than we think.”

To interrupt the gloomy tone at the two boy’s table, the waiter, still not the pretty girl, dropped off two plates of food. 

Keith scoffed at the pancakes Lance had ordered, which were covered in whipped cream and had a chocolate chip smiley face on them. “What are you, a child?”

“I’m so sorry i don’t like boring adult food like you do,” Lance replied sarcastically, pointing to Keiths eggs and toast. 

They ate mostly in silence, every once in awhile one of them would bring up things like restocking their supplies and getting gas and such.

Once their plates were clean and taken away, the pretty girl came over to the table with the check. Keith and Lance made eye contact, sharing the same thought. With no money in their pockets, Lance got ready to charmspeak the girl despite still being a bit bewildered by her beauty. He was the one that felt like he was being charmspeaked.

Before Lance could even get a word out, the girl sat down right next to him in the booth. She smelled like rain. Lance only knew one other person who had that same distinct smell to them, and he was sitting right across from him. That was a little weird. 

“I have some messages for you both,” she spoke. 

“From who?” Keith asked, his hand hovering over his knife. 

“Someone special,” the girl replied in a sing songy voice. “They want me to tell you two to listen to the dreams, and that you won't succeed on this quest if you disregard them.”

Lance's mind went straight to the vision of Keith that had been in his dream. Keith, the real Keith, was looking a bit pale in his seat. Maybe there had been something he didn’t tell him about his dream. 

“We are,” Lance said. “We’re on this quest, after all.”

“The person i was sent by certainly doesn’t agree,” the girl said while twirling a lock of black hair. She continued on before Lance or Keith could argue. “The second thing is this.” She pulled out two items: a mirror, and a necklace, both expensive and glamorous. “When you go see that wind nymph, give these to her as an offering.” 

“Why would a wind nymph like these?” Keith asked, his eyes squinted in distrust.

“Because they’re gifts from a god,” the girl replied a bit smugly. “You might want to find a third little gift for her, though. She’s very materialistic for a nymph.” Before Keith or Lance could fit in as much as another word, the girl stood up, straightened her apron, and gave an enthusiast “au revoir!” She took the bill off the table and carried it with her as she left, giving the two boys a little wink. 

“What just happened?” Keith asked. 

Lance thought through everything. The pretty girl, the gifts from a god, and the advice Lance was pretty sure she was giving them, it all fit together. With a sigh and a sour taste in his mouth, Lance said, “My mom is butting in on my quest.”  
____________

“How do you know?” Keith asked once they were situated back in the car and driving onwards. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lance replied. To Keith’s blank expression, he continued on. “The ‘gifts from a god’ were a necklace and a mirror. The waitress practically radiated love, and…” ‘the advice she gave the two of them,’ Lance thought but didn’t say aloud. 

“You’re probably right, but that’s a good thing. I mean, we have some offerings now, and it’s good to know that a goddess is on our side.” 

“I guess,” Lance muttered. Getting a bit of help on this quest? Terrific. Having a god watch over them? Great. But having that god be your mother? …Not so great. It’s like bringing your mom to prom, but your mom is a god and prom is a deadly, world saving quest. The campers never thought of Lance seriously because his mother. Lance was driven away from his home because of his mother. Everything in his life that’s gone wrong is because of his mother, and now Lance has a chance to do something great. He has a chance to prove himself, and his mom would not overshadow that. He could do this quest on his own. 

Lance’s face must have looked pretty stoney, because Keith was giving him a curious look. “I wonder who that waitress was, though,” Lance said to break the tension. “You know, i’ve always wished my hair was that color. I think it would look cool.” 

“What?” Keith asked, genuine confusion on his face. 

“What ‘what’?”

“You already have, like, the same hair color as her.”

“Are you blind? No, i don't.”

“Maybe it was just the lighting…” Keith said skeptically. He looked about as sure of that statement as Lance was.

Lance focused all his attention on driving, his arm aching periodically from the snake bite and his mind itching with questions about his mom, that waitress, and the quest overall. He tried to keep a clear head, but Lance could smell that familiar scent of rain coming from the passenger seat, and it was a bit distracting. 

Unable to stand the silence, Lance turned the radio on, mentally preparing for whatever horrid radio stations would be available to them here in Philly. And quite hilariously, the first song that came on was ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ by Billy Ray Cyrus. 

“Yeehaw, Keith!” Lance exclaimed with a bark like laugh. “You must be right at home with this song. Didn’t you grow up in Tennessee… or texas.. Or-”

“Be quiet,” Keith said, rolling his eyes. It was too late, though; Lance was already having too much fun.

With a thick southern drawl, Lance burst into song loudly and enthusiastically.  
“You can tell the world you never was my girl;  
you can burn my clothes up when i'm gone.” 

“Oh my gods,” Keith said, putting his head in his hands.

“You can tell your friends just what a fool I've been;  
And laugh and joke about me on the phone.” Lance continued on, pointing to Keith as if the song was about him. He continued on for a few more lines. 

“How do you know all the lyrics?” Keith asked. 

“The Demeter cabin has an awful taste in music and are always playing stupid country songs,” Lance answered quickly. He spouted out a few more lyrics, keeping up with the southern accent. He almost crashed the van when he saw Keith's mouth grow into a wide grin, no longer being able to hold back. 

And together, they exploded into the chorus.  
“But don't tell my heart;  
My achy breaky heart;  
I just don't think he'd understand.”

Lance couldn’t hear what Keith's singing voice sounded like, because overall, they weren’t singing much. They were yelling and laughing and letting loose for the first time on their quest. With so much stress and the weight of the Hestia situation on their shoulders, plus whatever was going on inside their individual minds, they were so pent up. They were just kids, after all, and this was the time they choose to just forget the world for a second. 

“And if you tell my heart;  
My achy breaky heart;  
He might blow up and kill this man!” They sang together. 

Keith even threw in a long “Wooo!” 

They continued on for the whole song, sloppily singing along to the country music in accents that would definitely offend a hillbilly. The energy and excitement cooled down through the course of the song, but they still sang each lyric. They smiled at each other, they pretended to serenade each other, they were having fun. 

When they sang the last line, the two boys let out a few genuine laughs that radiated pure happiness. They listened to more crappy country songs in silence, but it was comfortable. Small smiles were still in the two boy’s faces and didn’t show any sign of going away. Lance wouldn’t notice it then, but for one of the first times, he wasn’t stressing over Allura’s words or arguing with himself over if he did or did not have a crush on Keith. He was just enjoying the boy’s company and the fact that they were getting along and having a good time. 

After some uneventful hours of driving, Lance noticed something odd. “Look!” he told Keith, hitting him on the shoulder to get his attention. “What is that?” On the side of the road, there was a women. Her skin was patchy and a deep blue, like a zombie from a cheap movie. There were long black wings that extended out of her back. A ripped, tan colored dressed was draped around her, as if she were wearing a sheet. She looked at the van blankly as it drove by, her face holding no hostility but also no kindness.

“I think it’s a Keres,” Keith said, looking a bit bewildered, “A spirit of violent death.”

“What, do you just automatically know all about the underworld now?”

“Unlike you, i read books. I was an uneducated demigod alone for seven years; everything i know about monsters and gods are from what i’ve read up in libraries.”

“Alright, so what does a ‘Keres’ mean?” Lance asked. 

Keith’s face turned dark. “It’s a premonition, i think. It’s showing that violent death will happen soon, probably because of Hestia.”

“Oh. Well, that’s not good,” Lance said simply. “How would we even die when her flame goes out?”

“I’m guessing violently.”

“Or maybe the Keres is predicting our violent deaths?”

“Since there was only one, that’s probably it,” Keith said nonchalantly.

“Keith,” Lance said, looking at him with fake sympathy in his face, “You’re Achy Breaking my Heart right now.”

Keith let out a scoff like laugh and looked out the window. Lance looked in the rear view mirror, and to his relief, the Keres was left in the wind. The spirit had made him feel uneasy and on edge, like she could strike at any time, and of course, she could. Lance was the one who had signed up for this quest and he knew the risks, but he really didn’t want to die. Dieing is sort of a given for demigods, and it’s a sad way of thinking, but none of them are too optimistic about the future. Still, Lance felt like his story wasn’t over. There were questions unanswered, things he hasn’t come to terms with, ends he hasn’t tied. Just being a demigod meant that Lance was always in danger of dieing, but now, on this quest, death was looking him in the eye.

“We have to stop for gas,” Keith pointed out, distracting Lance away from his own thoughts. He looked down and sure enough, the needle was at ‘E’. After driving around looking for a gas station, they found one and pulled into a spot next to the pump. 

“You fill her up and i’ll go ‘pay’?” Lance asked with air quotes around the last word, 

“Alright.” 

Lance walked into the heated station and gathered up some supplies they needed, like bandages, food, and Lance picked up some air fresheners because… why not? He dumped it on the cashier's desk, got it bagged up, and convinced the cashier that making him pay would take a lot of time and energy. She agreed, of course, with a little help from his charmspeak. 

In only a few minutes, Lance was out the door with three bags of groceries swinging by his side. When he got back to the car, he was greeted with the sight of Keith standing there, his clothes disheveled and his hair a mess, looking totally bewildered. 

“Uh, what happened?” Lance asked. 

“Dwarves- they just- i don’t-” Keith stuttered. He was still holding the gas hose. 

“Dude, get it together.” 

Taking a deep breath, Keith started talking in full sentences. “Some weird dwarve things swarmed me and the van and took everything. Including the van’s tires.” Lance only then realized that the van was low on the ground, all four tires gone. Looking at Keith, he also realized that his bracelet and necklace were all gone. 

“Do you know where they went?”

“No, they were so fast, they’re probably gone by n-” just then, five short little monsters were all over Lance. They were so fast he could barely register what was happening, and only seconds later, they jumped off him and scurried away. 

Looking down, Lance saw that his gun was gone from his belt, and if they raided the van, his sword was gone as well. The bags of groceries were still in his hands, but they had been emptied of everything but the air fresheners. “Gods dammit,” he growled through clenched teeth. “Okay, we need to get these bitches.”

“I saw where they went that time,” Keith said, the fire in his eyes matching the one in Lance’s. “That way.”

“Let’s go,” Lance said. For a second, Keith looked down with his eyebrows furrowed at his chest, the place his necklace had been laying before it was snatched. Lance remembered how defensive Keith had been when Chiron had went to touch it after the gorgon attack. Lance was suspecting that the necklace had more of a story than Keith let on. “We’ll get it back,” Lance told him. 

Keith let down his barrier for a second, and Lance saw the concern that was heavy in his eyes. He gave a deep sigh, closing his eyes for a few seconds, and opening them to look back at Lance. “You’re right. Let’s go.” 

The two of them went running in the direction those dwarves had gone in. There was a small trail of their socks and other small belongings that fell out of the thieves hands, which helped them keep the trail. Only when they were running did Lance realize that the only weapon the two of them had was Keith’s knife, which the monsters tried to steal but just appeared back in his sheath thanks to Allure enchantment, against what looked like about ten agile enemies. He’s still find a way to send those jerks to tartarus, though. No one messes with his weapons. 

Plus there were the gifts from Aphrodite. As much as Lance hated the fact that his mom was trying to intervene, he had to accept that the gifts she gave the two boys were insanely important to their quest. Without them, they’d have nothing to give to the wind nymph, and if they had nothing to give, she’d probably just kill them or tell Prometheus of their location so he can send a bunch of monsters to kill them. Either way, they’d end up dead.

Both boys were tired and wheezing by the time they saw four rolling tires come to a stop outside a house that looked abandoned. The four short monsters that were rolling the tires like hamster wheels jumped out and rolled them up the steps and into the house. The other six had been traveling by swinging on the powerline, and they jumped to the ground and followed the other four inside. 

“What’s the plan?” Lance said after he got his breath back. 

“I assumed we’d just… wing it.”

“That’s the second time you’ve told me to ‘wing it.’ Does that usually work out for you?” Lance exclaimed. 

“Sometimes.”

“Uh, okay, we’re not doing that. What do they know about us? They know there’s two of us, they know we’re weaponless, and because of the celestial bronze, they know we’re demigods.”

“So, they basically know everything.”

“... yeah,” Lance said, dropping his head. He assessed what he had on him. There was a quarter in his pocket and a tree shaped, fruit punch air fresher for the car in the grocery bag he was still holding. All that Keith had on him was his knife.

He knew practically nothing about the monsters that stole their stuff, and it wasn’t a very good plan, but a small smile spread across Lance’s face. “How good of an actor are you?” He asked Keith. 

After explaining the plan, the two were ready. They walked up to house, which had yellow paint peeling away, and walked through the front door. They were greeted with the sight of ten small dwarves, rolling around in all kinds of things. Gold, jewelry, articles of clothing and weapons were the majority of what littered the dirty ground. Keith’s knife and bracelet and Lances gun and sword were all there, clear as day. 

“Look who it is,” a dwarf, who was wearing Keith’s necklace, exclaimed. “It’s the dorks we just robbed!” For the first time, Lance got a clear look at the monsters. Each were no taller than Lances legs, and they all had thick black hair growing out of their lumpy looking heads. Their faces looked permanently stuck in a grimace. “Us Kobaloi really scored with you two.”

“Kobaloi?” Keith asked.

“Never heard of us?” the one in the middle said, as if it was an unbelievable crime. “We’re known for terrorizing and stealing from demigods through the centuries!”

Lance let out a forced laugh to stop Keith from speaking. “Ah, the Kobaloi! Keith here probably thought you said… ‘cabage’. We know all about you. Like how you stole that thing from that one guy!”

“Yes! You know your stuff!” The kobalos said with a bark like laugh. Lance smiled to himself. His plan would definitely work. 

“You see, it’s not a big deal, but we kinda need some of our stuff back,” Lance said nonchalantly. 

“You need it, eh’?” The kobalos said with a thick eyebrow raised. “You prepared to bargain for it?”

“Bargain? You took all our stuff!” Keith exclaimed, like Lance told him to. 

Lance sighed. “There is one thing they didn’t take.” He started to pull the air freshener out of his pocket so that the kobaloi could see a little of it. They looked intrigued, which was good. 

“Lance, you can’t!” Keith said a bit too dramatically. Lance wanted to laugh, but that would ruin their plan. How did this guy survive seven years alone with his acting ability?

“It’s our only option,” Lance argued back. 

“What are you talking about? What is that?” The kobalos asked impatiently, inching a bit closer to try and get a glimpse of what was in Lance's pocket.

He took the tree shaped air freshener out dramatically, holding it up for the monsters to see. He made sure to hold it tightly, though. He wasn’t gonna let these little dwarfs steal his air freshener, as well. “Behold!” He shouted. “I can’t believe you didn’t take this! Do you know what this divine item is?”

The kobaloi murmured confusedly, giving Lance his answer. “Tell me, what is this?”

“It’s only a gift from a god,” Lance said with an eye roll, as if the answer was obvious. 

That got their attention. All at once they tried to rush forward and grab it, but Lance predicted that. He spun around dramatically and raised his arm so that the small creatures couldn’t grab it. Keith and Lance made eye contact, and Lance gave him the signal by running his free hand through his hair and coughing at the same time. Lance made a few steps back so the dwarves would follow him, their eyes still fixed on the air freshener. Keith snuck in behind the group of monsters, slowly reaching down to grab his bracelet, which was on a pile of miscellaneous items.

Lance kept talking to keep their attention. “This here is a gift from my mother, Aphrodite. Can’t you smell the scent it gives out? That’s the scent of love!”

“He’s right!” one said. 

“I can smell it!”

“What does it do?” the lead dwarf asked. He seemed a bit distrusting, which could ruin Lance’s plan. 

“You… uh… hang it off the neck of someone, and they immediately fall in love with you!” Lance made up. He watched as Keith grabbed Lance's sword, which was on a different pile. Lance squinted his eyes at him, to tell him ‘soon.’

“Bah, we have no use for that!” The dwarf responded. Uh, oh. 

“You could sell it or trade it or something!” Lance suggested. 

“I suppose,” the dwarf said, scratching his chin as if he was stroking an invisible beard. Lance watched as Keith hid Lances sword behind his back along with his bracelet and started to scoot closer to Lance. “But how do we know it works?”

Lance would have initiated the last part of his plan then, but it wouldn’t’ve worked. The monsters were too spread apart and weren’t distracted enough. The two boys would be overpowered quickly. “Uh, i can show you!” He blurted out. “Come here, Keith.” As soon as he got the idea, he hated it, but a small part of his mind didn’t hate it, which made Lance angry. 

Keith scooted over awkwardly. He put Lances sword and its sheath in his belt buckle on his back so his arms were free but the sword was still concealed. “This isn’t part of the plan,” Keith whispered. 

“I know,” Lance urgently whispered back. “Pretend to be in love with me.”

Keiths eyes grew as wide as quarters. “What?”

“Gods, we don’t have time for this,” Lance whispered to himself. The kobalos were growing impatient. With all the charmspeak he could muster, he repeated the command. “When i put this on you, pretend to be in love with me.” Keith’s eyes got a small glaze to them and his shoulders relaxed. “Watch and see!” Lance called to the dwarves. 

He put the air freshener around Keith’s neck, and just as Lance had commanded him, he looked flirtily at Lance. Keith was even scrambling to try and take Lance's hand. It was super weird.

“You see?” Lance asked the kobaloi, his voice wavering a bit. 

Most of the dwarves were looking at the scene with great wonder, now convinced of the items power. Their leader, however, was more sceptical. “You could just be acting. It’s not even that convincing,” he said with a scoff. His brethren started to come to their senses a bit as well, nodding their heads in agreement. 

Lance thought of his quest and how he couldn’t fail here. He thought about those gifts from Aphrodite they needed for the nymph. He thought of Keith’s necklace he told him they’d get back. He thought of the amazing gifts his friends had given the two of them, ones that had been taken away. If they were found out by these stupid dwarves, the quest would be ruined. 

Then he thought of Keith. He looked at the boy, his eyes were clear now that the charmspeak had faded, and he was blushing madly. Lance looked at his uneven but perfect hair, and those eyes that caught the light and transformed. The butterflies in Lance's stomach were going more wild than ever. 

He looked at the dwarves, then he looked at Keith. Surprising himself, he spoke. “Kiss me,” he whispered, putting all his emotion into only two words. The boy's eyes grew a bit wider, and there seemed to be a thousand thoughts in his mind, just like there were in Lances. 

Then, they were kissing. Lance didn’t remember who kissed who. He barely even remembered the kiss. Too many things were happening at once, so many emotions were spreading through Lances whole body that there must have been an overload of the brain. He did remember that it wasn’t too over the top. It was enough to convince the dwarves that it was the air fresheners doing, but there wasn’t much touching or deepness in it. Still, it felt as if every nerve in Lance's body was exploding. After only a few seconds, the two separated. Again, Lance didn’t remember who pulled away first. 

Once they were separated, the two looked at each other with an unreadable expression. If a kobalos hadn’t brought them back to reality, Lance didn’t doubt that they would have stared at eachother all day. 

“I want that thing!” a dwarf called, now sure of the air fresheners power. 

“I want it!” another chimed in.

“I saw it first!” a third one said.

All ten of the kobaloi started arguing and bickering over who would get it, until the leader, the one in Keith’s necklace, ran up to Keith and snatched the tree shaped object straight off his neck. “It’s mine!” He called. His brethren had other ideas, however, and they all surged forward. There was a ball of kobaloi there in the dirty house as they all were on top of each other, condensed and distracted. 

Lance was still a bit awestruck by the kiss, and almost forgot where they were and the plan he assembled. HE quickly recovered, and seeing the perfect opportunity, Lance took Keith’s knife off it’s sheath he put on his own belt and threw it into the pile of kobaloi. As it soared, it impaled three of them. Before the others could even process what had happened, Keith was handing Lance his sword as he activated his bracelet to get his own. The two leaped into action and started slicing and dicing. They hit any any kobaloi they saw then moved on to the next one. In only a few seconds, all ten of the dwarves were gone and Keith and Lance didn’t have one scratch on them. 

There, on the worn down wood floor, accompanied by lots of monster dust, was an air freshener and a necklace. Keith retrieved the glowing pendant, blew some of the gold dust off it, and put it around his neck. He seemed to be relieved to have the item back, and he let out a long exhale as he played with the pendant in his fingers. When he looked back up and saw Lance, a small blush appearing on his cheeks. 

Lance cleared his throat. “Uh, good teamwork on that one, partner.”

“Mhm,” Keith nodded frantically, “Nice work, nice work. Good plan. Good thinking.”

“Yep, yep, yep. Good work on both parts. Nice totally platonic work.”

“Of course. Nice, uh, charmspeak.” Keith said.

“thanks.”

“No problem.”

The two collected their things that had been stolen and left the abandoned house. As they walked back to the gas station, Lance thought about only one thing. 

Although there had been lots of emotion, Lance realized that he hadn’t put any charmspeak into his words when he told Keith to kiss him. Both of them had kissed with their own free will. 

\---Keith’s P.O.V: 

Oh jeez, oh jeez, oh jeez. He and Lance had kissed. It meant nothing, though, it was just to keep their cover. And… Lance had been charmspeaking him, right? His lips were really soft. Still, the kiss was barely three second long, and they were standing pretty far away from each other.

These were only some of the thoughts in Keith's mind as he drove through the darkness. After getting back to the gas station, the two boys realized that neither of them knew how to change a tire, and all four of theirs had been taken off. Lance ‘borrowed’ a 1999 honda accord from some guy getting gas, and now they were driving. 

Keith was at the wheel while Lance sat in the passenger seat, taking the bandage and gauze off his arm, which was mostly healed thanks to the ambrosia. After loading their new car with all their recovered items, they drove all day only with short stops at fast food restaurants for dinner and bathroom breaks. 

They had said only a few words to each other ever since the whole kiss thing, and in any other situation prolonged silence would be great, but now it was just awkward. Most of the drive Lance just slept, or the two switched between static filled radio stations. Both of them had tried to start a conversations a few times, but with only one word answers, it quickly fell apart. 

It shouldn’t’ve been awkward, after all it was only a stupid kiss to keep their cover. Kisses didn’t mean much, it was just lips touching. If anything it’s gross. Keith has read books and talked to people who describe kissing as this otherworldly thing. They say that there’s a spark there, or that it makes fireworks, but with Keith, he found it hard to believe.

Of course, that had been his first kiss. Maybe he should have been more bummed out that his first kiss was some fake thing to keep his cover, but he didn’t care much. Romance wasn’t much of a priority in his life. And, you know, the fact that his greatest fear was falling in love probably had something to do with it.

He wouldn’t admit it outloud, but there had been… something in the kiss with lance. He almost could feel that spark so many people talked about. It was probably because of the charmspeak, though. But then again, he had some doubts. He knew he had been charmspeaked when Lance told him to pretend to be in love with him (which was super embarrassing) but by the time Lance told him to kiss him, the magic had worn off. And he wasn’t entirely sure Lance had charmspeak him again after that.

Keith hadn’t felt that same undenying idolization for Lance that he usually felt when he put him under the spell. When Lance told him to kiss him there had been something else there, something he couldn't put his finger on, but it scared him. 

He tried to get it out of his head, but that was hard when there was constant awkward silence because of it. He didn’t want to say anything, but they still had a few days left on this quest and they wouldn’t get anything done if they wouldn’t even talk to each other. 

Keith opened his mouth to speak, but Lance beat him to it. “Back there, sorry for the whole… Kiss thing,” He said. “I just want to do good on this quest and prove those asses back at camp wrong about me, and if our plan didn’t work and we didn’t get that stuff back, that would’ve been the end of the quest. I don’t want to mess this up.” His voice seemed different, like a wall had fallen down. He was a bit quieter and Keith could hear the emotion in his voice, showing that he was telling Keith the truth. He didn’t know why Lance decided to start being honest and to drop the facade now of all times, but during their day of awkward silence, he must’ve been thinking a lot, just like Keith had.

“I know,” Keith said. He was about to say ‘it’s not your fault, i kissed back,’ but Keith still wasn't sure if he had been charmspeaked or not. “It made your plan work perfectly, and your plan was actually pretty good, by the way. Besides, I’d rather kiss you than be killed by some dwarves,” He joked. Lance scoffed a bit at that, and as he did the tension in the car seemed to dissolve. “You could’ve bought me dinner first, though,” Keith joked again, this time getting a hearty laugh out of Lance. 

The tension was gone, but Keith’s mind was still racing. At camp, he had thought to himself that he knew he had some sort of feelings for lance, he just didn’t know what they were. Platonic, Romantic, hatred, annoyance. Those were all possibilities. And after the kiss, Keith hated himself for having some idea of which emotion he was leaning towards. 

Keith thought back to when they sang along to the radio. He thought of that strangely enticing eye contact they made at the lake and again in the car ride. He thought of how he felt when he was charmspeaked. He thought of when the two of them had kissed… each of these things pointed to the mystery emotion he felt towards lance that he desperately wanted to remain a mystery. 

Keith was starting to hate this quest. He had gone on it for… some reason that he still didn’t know, but now there were all these emotions going on in his head. He hated battling with himself and trying to determine his own feelings. He felt like he wasn't in power and he felt like his mind was making him fragile. And again, that was the whole reason he was so scared of love. You can’t afford to be fragile when your life is threatened every few minutes. That’s the message he’s been taught in his years alone, reinforced by his dad’s message, ‘don’t trust anyone.’ 

Keith tried to imagine what was going on inside of Lance's head, but he had no idea. The dude was a mystery. Sure, he lived his life out loud, but he rarely spoke about anything deeper than his life at camp. That was why Keith had been so surprised when he began to talk honestly with him about how he didn’t want to mess up the quest. He knew the guy was prideful and wanted to prove himself, but he didn’t know why. Keith didn’t even know why Lance had wanted to go on this quest so badly, but then again, Keith didn’t know why he was here either. 

Lance also seemed to be particularly closed off to Keith. If a conversation got too deep, he’d turn away and look out a window. If things were getting a bit emotional, he’d say some joke and derail the conversation. Keith hated getting soppy and having deep conversations about feelings and all that crap, but for some reason he didn’t know, he actually craved for even a little bit of insight into Lance's head. The guy contradicted himself with each sentence he spoke, and it was confusing Keith more and more.

While they drove, The two talked strategy and what they’d do when they got to Tennessee, which was about twenty hours away. Lance would do the talking, and as they drove they talked about how to sway a wind nymph onto their side. 

They played stupid roadtrip games like “i spy” just to keep themselves from falling asleep and occasionally snacked on some stuff they bought at the gas station. When Lance dozed off, Keith just drove in silence. Halfway through the night Keith had to wake up Lance after he fell asleep for a few seconds and almost got hit by a truck. Lance drove until the morning while Keith slept.

“Dude. Dude, wake up,” Lance said, shaking Keith awake. His face was a bit pale and his eyes wide in fear. The car was stopped in the middle of the road, and to the left of them was a public park. The clock on the car displayed 11:34 A.M.

“What?” Keith asked frantically, not a fan of the look on Lance's face.

“Can’t you feel that?” he responded in a near whisper. 

Keith was about to answer no, but then he felt something. It was like a chill in his stomach, as if someone placed their cold hands there. Lance’s eyes were darting around, distress obvious on his face. It was worrying Keith.

Something’s coming, Keith thought, but he didn’t know why. The hair stood up on his arms, his eyes went wide, the chill in his stomach was spreading.

“Get out of the car,” Keith said suddenly. “Now!” 

Lance came to his senses temporarily and the two boys dove out of the car and scrambled away quickly. Then, the ground beneath the Honda opened up and swallowed the car, making it fall down to somewhere unknown. Keith had luckily been able to grab hold of the bag with Aphrodite's gifts in them, preventing them from meeting the same fate as their car. After getting over the shock of what just happened, the two boys stood up from the ground. They hadn’t been injured, but Lance still looked pale and worried.

Keith saw a figure flash in front of them, as if there was a hologram. Keith was about to ask Lance if he saw it, but the words died in his mouth when the figure fully materialized a few feet away. It was like something from a nightmare.

It resembled a man, only it was seven feet tall and its skin was a dark blue, the color of the nighttime sky. It wore a long black cloak, and looking closer at it Keith saw that it was formed from the feathers of a bird. The face of the man had a crooked nose, eyes that were human looking out cold and piercing, and black, silky hair that ran long down his back, almost looking like it was apart of his cloak. It’s mouth was in a small snarl so Keith could get a small look at the man's sharp, yellow teeth. 

Keith knew that this was a creature from the underworld, and he’s guessing that that’s why he had sensed it and the car’s downfall. Lance however, was now on his knees, his face now whiter than before and his hands clenched tightly into fists. He was even trembling slightly. 

“What are you doing to him?” Keith demanded. The creature made no answer, not even a growl. There seemed to be a sharp, faint buzz in Keith’s mind, as if the monster was radiating static.

A cold realization came to Keith. This man was from the underworld, Keith knew that much, so that means that Hades sent it. His own father had sent this creature, probably to kill Keith to avoid drama with his brethren or to fix the mistake he made in having Keith in the first place. 

He looked over at Lance, who was still paralyzed in fear. With anger fuelling his body, Keith activated his sword and unsheathed his knife. It looked like this fight would be between him and the creature. With a long grunt, Keith advanced, his knife pointed forward as he ran to impale the dark monster. Seconds before the weapon would hit it, it disappeared and Keith's knife hit nothing. 

“Huh?” Keith wondered aloud. Then, Keith was flying across the road, landing in a patch of grass at the park that was next to the scene. The creature materialized again, its large, dark form towering over Keith. He quickly scrambled up to his feet, his weapons at the ready. Keith swirled his sword in a circle above his head and used the momentum to drive it forward at the creature, but it just disappeared and must’ve sidestepped out of the way. While still invisible he pushed Keith down again, his hand leaving a cold feel where it had touched the boy. 

Anger and frustration was pumping through Keith’s veins, but a feeling of defeat was slowly creeping up as well. There was no way he could beat this guy, especially alone. He couldn’t even see him, but he now had an idea of who he was. The dark raven feather cloak, the silence, the invisibility, it all added up to an answer Keith really didn’t like.

“You’re an Eurynomus,” Keith groaned, still on the floor, “A flesh devouring demon from the underworld. You’re used to spy on people.”

The monster gave no indication on if Keith was correct or not, but his answer made a lot of sense and he knew he was right. Those demons represented the rotting corpses of the dead and practically radiated fear, which explained why Lance was trembling on the ground, and Keith's underworld blood must be protecting him from the effect. This was one of the most foul and terrifying creatures of the underworld; Hades must really want Keith dead. 

The monster stood over Keith on the ground. As quick and sharp as Keith could, he swirled his leg around to trip the creature. It worked to a certain extent. The demon just fell to it’s knees, got back up quickly and snarled wider. It was angrier now, and it was ready to finish off Keith. 

The creature was about to strike Keith with it’s fist, which was probably a much deadlier weapon than it appeared, but then there was a gunshot and a bullet piercing the demon’s shoulder. Keith looked over and saw Lance, now on his feet but still wide eyed and pale with his bronze gun pointed up. Keith remembered that the gun was always silenced unless you physically turned that feature off. Lance not only had wanted to harm the creature, but he wanted to draw it’s attention to him and away from Keith. His arms started to shake and they fell back at his sides. 

The monster was injured, but not dead. Keith needed to focus, and to make sure the creature didn’t go after Lance. He took a deep breath in and ignored the tight situation, just thinking deeply without being frantic. What was the problem here? The monster was fast. But so was Keith. The main issue is the monster's ability to disappear and become invisible. How can Keith beat that? 

He is a child of the underworld, after all, and he had sensed the ground opening up to swallow the car. He also sensed the fact that the monster was coming, while Lance had just been sensing the fear and dread the monster radiated. If Keith could tap into his underworld-y powers, maybe he’d be able to tell where the creature is without actually seeing it. 

Keith took another deep breath and tried to make his powers work. He focused on the ground beneath him, and the monster that radiated the underworld in front of him. He used the anger and desperation as a crutch instead of the source of all his power, like he usually tried to do. And like an on switch, Keith could sense exactly where the monster was standing. 

He got up off the ground and readied his weapons. The monster, who was advancing on Lance, turned around when it heard Keith’s footsteps approaching. Keith jabbed with his knife and the monster sidestepped. It turned invisible, but Keith could sense every step it took. He made a long slice with his knife, and although the demon didn’t make any noise, Keith could tell he hit it. The demon tried to sneak behind Keith, but he quickly spun around and jabbed at the monster a few times, impaling him more than once. The monster, who’d realized Keith could ‘see’ it, materialized. There was black flood flowing down its blue skin, and it’s face was contorted in anger. 

Faster than Keith could register, the creature flung him back, making Keith hit the grass again. It walked up to Keith and with only a finger touched his forehead. Coldness, fear, and pain coursed through Keith’s body like it never had before. It was pure agony, and Keith didn’t even register the fact that he brought his sword up and sliced off the demons entire hand. 

Again, it made no noise, but it looked completely bewildered and even angrier than before. Keith was still dazed from the pain the creature had inflicted on him, but he got up quickly. Even with his newfound focus, Keith knew he couldn’t hold out forever. Lance was still shaking where he stood, and the monster didn’t show any sign of dying. Still, Keith continued to fight. 

He looked at Lance again. He looked down at Hestia's necklace, which reminded him of this quest and the fate of the world and the camp. He remembered the home he could have there. For a second he let go of the anger he held at his father, Hades, and instead embraced his parentage. He was a child of the underworld, and that’s why he was going to win this fight.

Like he did before, Keith connected with the ground and the power of the underworld. He used his emotions to boost him along and he cleared his mind. He focused his thoughts on the ground opening and warriors coming to assist him, and then it happened. With an adrenaline fuelled battle cry from Keith, the crack in the road the car had been swallowed through reopened, and outcrossed tens of soldiers, ghosts, zombies, and skeletons alike. He willed them to attack the Eurynomus, and they advanced forward. 

The demon swatted them away like flies, but Keith could tell they were tiring it out. Keith could feel the power pulse through his body, the power that came from the underworld. His father was Hades, and even though Keith didn’t like that, he couldn’t change it. He had two options: fight against his parentage and die, or use the power he’d been born with and live. He was choosing to live.

The last undead soldier was swatted away, again leaving just Keith and the demon. There was barely an inch of uninjured skin upon the monster, and it seemed to be moving a bit slower now, but it still wouldn’t die. 

Keith raised his sword and readied himself against the monster. Unfortunately, it moved faster than Keith had both hoped and anticipated. It pressed its non-cut hand against Keiths forehead, and that pain and coldness started again, even worse than before. 

Keith was slightly aware of his screams echoing against the buildings and into the sky. His eyesight turned white, his knees buckled and fell to the ground. It was the worst pain he’s ever felt, and he could say that easily. Through the pain, Keith touched the ground with his hand. A skeleton near him that had been torn apart by the demon reassembled. It advanced forward and flung its weight at the demon. It barely did any harm, but it was enough to separate Keith and the creature.

Exhausted and bewildered by the pain that had been coursing through him seconds ago, Keith fell limp to the ground. He wanted to just sit down and take a nice, long nap, but the demon was still there, right in front of him. With shaky arms, he lifted himself up and saw that there was no demon insight. Instead, there was a pile of red rose petals where the monster had last stood. 

Next, he saw Lance. The color was back in his face, he had stopped shaking, and he looked back to normal. He was looking at something, though, and his face showed bewilderment. Turning his body slightly to where Lance was looking, Keith saw a women. 

She was in a gorgeous white dress with a deep neckline and a long slit up the leg. The face of the woman was hard to make out, because it kept changing. One thing he was sure of was that it was one of the most beautiful girls he’s ever seen. Then he noticed an aura around her. It was like a small glow, hard to see unless you focused. With a jolt, Keith realized that the glow matched the one around Lance in Keith's dream back at camp.

Keith looked back to Lance, and saw that he had a strange look on his face, as if he was deep in thought and on the verge of a breakthrough. Then, his face fell into a deep look of disgust. “Oh, you have to be kidding me,” he deadpanned. 

“Hello, boys!” The woman called, clapping her hands together. 

“Who…?” Keith asked, sitting up. 

Lance looked over at him and crossed his arms. He let out a long, deep sigh that only came with mass amounts of annoyance.

“Keith,” he began, “meet my mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh so much stuff happened this chapter, but it was so fun to write. I loved creating all the monsters and the fighting sequences.
> 
> please please please comment, give kudos and make sure you stick around for next chapter. Comments are what keep me writing and motivated, and they mean more to me than you know, so any and all of them are appreciated :''') 
> 
> This was a pretty Keith centered chapter, but next chapter will be very focused on lance as he and his mom have a pretty eye opening chat ;) make sure to stick around. (School has started and i am a stressed honors student. I'll try my best to keep uploading every two weeks, but it may lean a bit more towards three)(also if anyone watches b99 the kiss was highly inspired by the™ scene ™ ;))


	4. The Fears that will Spread to Destroy the Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having an emotional talk with his mother, Lance is forced to face the facts, though he doesn't want to. The conversation brings up his 'crush' on Keith, his biggest fear, and the problems lance has with Aphrodite, and it has him thinking for days.
> 
> Keith is still at a difficult cross roads: try and let go of the fear he knows he has, or let it wreak havok on him. He'll bear his heart to Aphrodite, and her advice has him taking a new approach on how he acts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all, i warned last chapter that i might be behind in updating because i'm a /stressed AP and honors student/. I still will be updating every 2 weeks and the only reason this one took longer was cuz i had a wave of work bc all my summer homework was due. (by the way, not including this one, there are two chapters left in the story.)
> 
> Enjoy!

\---Lance’s P.O.V: 

“You boys have really made a mess over here,” Aphrodite said with a frown and a tisk. A little dramatically, she waved her hand and the large crack in the road, the grass that had been ripped up from Keith being flung into it, and the zombie and skeleton fragments that littered the road all disappeared, leaving the scene looking like Lance and Keith had never been there. “I think it’s time we have a chat, don’t you agree?”

“What are you doing here, mom?” Lance asked, putting a bit of bitter emphasis on the last word. Keith made a small effort in trying to stand up, but the fight must’ve tired him. He resulted in just sitting in the grass. 

“You’re Aphrodite?” Keith asked, looking confused with the whole ordeal. Jeez, that boy was not the brightest. 

“Who else were you expecting?” Aphrodite answered smugly. “Follow me, i know a particularly beautiful spot in this park that we can chat in.”

“Why would we want to talk with you?” Lance asked. He knew he should maybe be a bit more respectful as she was both his mother and an easily offendable goddess, but he couldn’t help it. He had always dreamed at what insults he would throw at his mother, but he never expected he’s actually get to see her. 

“I have some advice for you two, and since you’ve ignored all my other forms of contact, i might as well tell you in person,” she said. Her eyebrow was raised at Lance. She didn’t react much to the rudeness her son was radiating, but there was something to her eyes; some sort of sadness there. “Come along.”

She started walking through the grass and towards the trees and flowers of the park, not even looking back to see if the two boys were following. Lance had so many thoughts in his head, and he didn’t want to hear his mother's advice, but he found himself angrily following her anyway. Keith stood up, snatched the bag of Aphrodite’s gifts he’d grabbed before diving out of the car pre-battle, and followed as well, though he looked very tired. 

Lance felt guilty about the whole fight with the demon. He had been practically useless, just standing there, petrified but seeing and listening to the whole fight. Keith had actually been pretty amazing, though, and it seemed that he got control of his Hades powers. That sure would’ve come in handy in their earlier fights, but better late than never. 

“So, that’s your mom?” Keith asked, breathing a little heavy from the walking. 

“Yep,” Lance deadpanned, looking straight ahead. 

“Why do you seemed so angry?” Keith asked. “Isn’t it good that she’s here?”

“Yeah, it’s great,” he said with mass amounts of sarcasm. 

Keith looked confused but didn’t ask for any elaboration, which Lance was happy about. The two just walked in silence as Aphrodite led the way. Keith was looking pretty exhausted after a few minutes, and a part of Lance wanted to help him in some way, like offering to carry the bag or asking Aphrodite to slow down, but the anger in his head was completely covering up that impulse. 

“Here we are,” Aphrodite said with a content sigh, leading them into a secluded part of the Park. it was a pretty large grass circle with walls of bush surrounding it, colorful flowers of warm tones spotting the deep green grass. Aphrodite simply snapped and two tents appeared. One seemed to be a sleeping cot while the other had a table and chairs inside. “Doesn’t this look comfy,” she sighed. “Why don’t you join me for some brunch? You two must be famished.”

The three of them sat at the table Aphrodite had assembled for them. If he wasn’t so angry, Lance would’ve laughed at the strange semblance of people there in the fancy tent. There was a son of Hades who looked like he was about fall asleep at any second, Lance, whose arms were crossed and both annoyance and anger were written all over his face, and then there was an actual goddess, looking excited and happy. What a dynamic bunch. They’d make quite a sitcom.

“So,” Aphrodite began, waving her hand and making sodas and sandwiches appear on the table, “You two are looking for the wind nymph, Lectorem. She’s a tricky one. Very materialistic, very nosey, and she is such a gossiper.”

“You two must be besties, then,” Lance murmured. 

“I’m not a fan of her. Usually, gossip is super fun, especially when it’s about love and crushes and all that, but she couldn’t keep her mouth closed about us gods. She shared our war plans, told people classified information, and she even spread a fake rumor that one of my gucci bags was a knock off!”

“That must’ve been real hard on you,” Lance said sarcastically, munching on the corner of a sandwich. 

“It was. You get me, Lance,” Aphrodite said as she straightened her hair with her fingertips, as if they had been talking about something very emotional. Meanwhile, Keith kept rapidly blinking every few seconds to keep himself awake. “Keith, sweetie, drink this. Some of the purest nectar you’ll ever have,” Aphrodite exclaimed, making a glass of apple juice looking liquid appear in front of the boy. He drank it with no hesitation. 

“Do you… actually have a point in this conversation?” Lance asked. 

“I was just getting to that! The nymph is more clever than you think, so don’t try to deceive her in any way. Stay true to the your word: The gifts in exchange for information, though be careful and be smart. She herself has been known to trick people/ If she doesn’t accept the gifts or something goes wrong and she stays on Prometheus’s side, she will contact him and he’ll send some monsters to take care of you, just like he sent that little demon that Keith fought.”

That comment seemed to wake Keith up. “Wait… my father didn’t send that thing?”

Aphrodite’s face was written with deep sympathy, but almost in a superior way, as if she was looking at an injured animal and saying ‘poor thing.’. “Of course not,” She said. “He’d never. If only you knew… Well, if you succeed and get your information from that nymph, you’ll know soon enough.” 

“What are you talking about?” Keith asked, an intense look on his face. Lance was scared he’d make the ground start to shake again. 

“It hardly matters,” Aphrodite said. “Anyways, you two should take the spoil of war that demon dropped as a third gift for the nymph.”

Keith definitely didn’t want to drop the subject, but Lance knew Aphrodite wouldn’t speak more on the issue so he moved the conversation onwards. “Didn’t you turn the demon into rose petals?”

“Oh! Silly me.” She waved her hand and the raven feather cloak the monster wore appeared on the table. “There you go. Very fashion forward.”

“So, it that it?” Lance asked. “Can we leave now?” Again, he had almost planned out word for word what he’d say to his mom if he was ever to meet her, but now, actually being in her presence, he just wanted to run away. 

“Ah, I haven’t even gotten to the important stuff yet!” She exclaimed. “I want to talk to each of you privately Lance, you’re first. Keith, darling, you can go rest in the cot for now.”

Keith looked at Lance expectantly, silently asking ‘is that okay?’ Lance thought of all the things he could do then and there. He could take the cloak and storm out. He could yell at Aphrodite. He could refuse the chat. Instead, to his surprise, he found himself telling Keith, “Go on, it’ll be fine.”

Lance watched as he left the tent, leaving him and his mother alone. As he watched Keith enter the cot a few feet away, Aphrodite pulled a cord and closed the flap on the tent they were sitting in, giving the two of them some privacy. 

“So, what do you want?” Lance asked, more bitterness stinging his voice than before. 

Aphrodite’s face actually fell into a look of slight hurt. “Lance, darling, i know i’m not your favorite… and you might not like what we talk about here, but you have to hear me out.”

“Okay, go on,” was all Lance said. 

“Well, i’m aware your friend Allura has already brought it to your attention.”

“...What?”

“Your crush on Keith.”

So many things happened at once. The blood drained from Lance's face. Kill Bill sirens rang in his head. He was glad he had finished his sandwich already because he definitely would have choked on it. He was about to start arguing with the goddess, but first he found himself glancing at the direction the sleeping cot was in, even though he couldn’t see it. 

“Don’t worry. I made this tent soundproof.” 

“I don’t have a crush on Keith,” Lance said a bit louder than intended.

“I think we’re past the point of denial, darling.”

“Why does everyone think i like him? I don’t!”

“Lance, my associate that i sent to the dinner, the waitress, what did she look like to you?” Aphrodite asked, her charisma and perky attitude gone. Lance was surprised by the fact that she was actually taking this conversation seriously.

“She was kinda pale. Black hair. She smelled like…” He trailed off, his mouth tasting of bile. 

“She smelled like Keith. She looked like Keith. She looked like that because she took the characteristics of your ideal person, the person you love. I put a spell on her to hide her from any monsters that may have been nearby, one that cloaked her with that love. You said it yourself, she radiated it.” She took a small break, but Lance said nothing. “And afterwards, you and Keith had a small argument about the waitresses hair color. You said it was black, and Keith said it looked like yours…” 

“Stop,” Lance said simply, overwhelmed by it all. He didn’t like Keith, and there was no was he liked Lance, which Aphrodite was implying.

“When you dreamt of Hestia and Prometheus, there was someone there at the end. They put their hand on your cheek. Who did you see?” 

“I said stop.”

“You saw Keith. That was me in your dream, and i purposely appeared there as your love to send you a message. And what about that kiss? You know that was genuine.”

“You’re wrong,” Lance said, finding that his voice was a mere whisper now, no authority in his demands.

Aphrodite’s eyes were set on Lance, and he felt as if she was burning a hole through him. Lance wanted her to go back to her bubbly self that took nothing seriously like she had been when she first appeared, but now she was sitting still, her hands folded on the table as she spoke words that were making Lance feel so many things. He felt as if his world was spiraling. 

“You were right about the message my associate relayed,” the goddess continued. “I was telling you to let Keith in. You need to accept your love, and you need to embrace it. Stop fighting it, or else you’ll fail this quest, because that’s your fear.”

“...What?” Lance asked, cold stinging his body.

“Your biggest fear. You haven’t figured it out yet, have you. Keith has, and to be honest i’m a little embarrassed that a son of Hades is more in touch with his feelings than my own son is,” she said with a small laugh. 

“What’s my fear, then?” This had been driving Lance crazy ever since he heard the prophecy for this quest. He couldn’t figure it out, though he knew he was close to the answer. He felt as if he was one small nudge away from the answer, and apparently Aphrodite would be that nudge. 

“Quite ironically, your fear is love.”

“That’s not true, i love a lot of people. And i always flirt with people an-” 

“You love your family and friends, but you don’t romantically love anyone. The flirting is all an act, and honestly, you just do it to trivialize love, to make is seem less important than it actually is.” She took a deep breath. “Mainly, you’re scared of what Allura said. You don’t want to fall in love with everyone you see, because… you don’t want to be another Aphrodite kid that’s not taken seriously.” There was a small, sad smile on her face. 

“I don’t… y-you don’t even…” Lance kept trailing off. He wanted to argue, but his voice kept dieing out, and a small voice in his head was telling him it was because she was right. He wanted to cry, or maybe to punch something, because he didn’t know what to do with all of this. The goddess of love was personally telling him that he loved Keith. She was insisting that he was scared of love, when love was the only thing he was known for to the people at Camp Half Blood. “How could you even know this?” Lance asked. 

He thought her answer would be something like ‘i’m a goddess,’ or ‘I know Love,’ but instead she said, “It’s because i’m your mother.”

“No, you’re not,” Lance said after a few seconds of silence, emotion creeping up in his throat. He’d had enough of this conversation, and it was getting too much for him. “A mother is there for her children. A mother is caring and would actually take a role in her child's life. I’ve never even met you.” Lance had always saw this moment as him yelling at Aphrodite. He thought he’d tear her a new one with no guilt and no emotion other than anger, but now, actually faced with the situation, he was sitting still in his chair, his voice barely louder than a whisper, with a small tear threatening to make its way down his face. “For the year i was alone and scared, you were never there. The four years at camp, you were never there. You might be my blood, but you’re not my mom.”

“Lance-” Aphrodite tried, but he wasn’t done yet. 

“Every single bad thing in my life is because of you. I had to leave my family because i’m a demigod. I have to be stuck at camp all the time because of you. No one ever treats me seriously because i’m your kid. I try… so hard to compensate for that. I have to work ten times harder than the other kids just so that i’m not written off as an Aphrodite kid who’s always falling in love…” Lance took a deep, shaky breath and tried to stop the tears from coming. “Everything sucks because of you, and you don’t even care.”

“But i do care,” she said, the same emotion in Lance's voice now in hers. “You have to know that… I’ve always been watching over you,” She began, her face showing sadness that surprised Lance. “I’ve wanted to speak with you, and i wish i could’ve been there more for you, but maybe i was just… Afraid.”

“What could you possibly be afraid of?”

“Getting too attached,” Aphrodite said, stunning Lance into silence. “Life isn’t kind to demigods and…” in a voice almost too soft to hear, she said, “I don’t want what happened to Silena to happen to you.” Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, and Lance didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to feel. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. 

Lance didn’t want to let the topic of conversation go away so easily, since he had waited to tell his mother all of this for years, but he simply didn’t know what to say. Aphrodite’s response to his monologue had taken everything out of him.

After building up the courage to ask, and biting his lip as he forced the words out, he spoke. “If you’re right and my fear is love… How do i get over that? And how does getting over that help me on this quest?” 

Aphrodite cleared her throat and tried to speak with a small smile on the face, as if trying to reset the energy in the conversation. “You have to stop fighting with yourself. Deep down, i think you know that you like Keith, and denying it isn’t going to get you anywhere. Let him in, and he’ll do the same, or who knows, maybe he’ll let you in first. In that case, you have to follow suit.”

Lance wanted to get angry at that and start arguing over this supposed crush, but he didn’t have it in him. He was just tired. This whole quest he’s been arguing back in forth with himself, and now, in this tent with Aphrodite, he could feel his mind fall victim to itself. He wanted to stop that arguing, but if he did stop, he’d have to accept the fact that… Maybe there was some truth to what Aphrodite was saying. 

“I can’t tell you why or how, because truthfully i’m not sure, but all your hardwork on this quest will go down the drain if you two don’t get over your fears,” She said. “I know it’s the last thing you want to do, and… I know you have no reason to listen to me, but if you listen to my advice, you won't only save the world. You’ll finally find some peace in your life, as well.”

Lance could’ve laughed at that, because the life of a demigod was never peaceful. But looking at the face of Aphrodite and seeing lingering sadness there and even a little bit of desperation, Lance found himself telling her, “I’ll think about it.” 

\---Keith’s P.O.V: 

“Hey, wake up,” Lance's voice sounded as he shook Keith awake. 

“Uhh,” he groaned, his eyes slowly opening. “What?” 

“Aphrodite wants to speak with you.” Lance looked… weird. He was looking at Keith differently, as if he was silently evaluating, but he wouldn’t make any eye contact with him. His voice was a bit low and monotone, differing from his usual loud and expressive demeanor. His face portrayed sadness and his eyes looked red, as if he’d been crying. Keith has never seen Lance look this raw. 

“Oh. Are you okay?” He found himself asking before he could stop. He was actually kind of worried. He didn’t like seeing Lance like that, it felt off. It seemed like the energy had been sucked out of him, and he didn’t even try to portray happiness as Keith suspected he did sometimes. 

“I guess. Just some family drama,” he said simply, not trying for a sassy remark or some arrogant comment. 

“You sure? What did you guys even talk ab-”

“You should probably get in there,” Lance said, interrupting him and averting his gaze. “You shouldn’t keep her waiting.” Keith pulled the blankets off himself and left the cot, Lance remaining in it and staring at the ground with a million emotions on his face. 

Confused and slightly scared about what he was about to endure, Keith pulled the flap of the tent back and sat in the chair opposite Aphrodite. She looked a bit disheveled, and her confident smile was gone for the first time in her visit to the two boys. He didn’t know what they had talked about, but Lance and her conversation seemed to take a tole on the goddess as well.

“Keith, darling,” she said after clearing her throat and trying for a smile, “How was your rest?”

“Uh, it was fine, thanks,” he responded. He had only slept for about fifteen minutes, but he still felt more refreshed. It wasn’t only because of the nectar and the power nap, though. He summoned about the same number of undead warriors as he did at the Camp Half Blood Battle, and then he had slept for two days while being on the verge of death. But this time, he was just a little tired but back on his feet in no time. It must’ve been because of differing power sources he’d used. At the Camp Battle, he had used his anger to fuel him, but with the demon he had connected to the earth and parentage instead.

“So, you’ve figured out your biggest fear,” she said matter of factly, making his heart leap. He didn’t want anyone to know about that, but you can’t keep stuff from the gods. 

“Yeah, I have.”

“And you’ve you figured out what to do about it?”

Keith took a deep breath, and a spark of frustration lit inside of him, because he’d been asking himself that question for days now. He really didn’t know what to do. Should he fight the fear and welcome love, or should he keep going with the morals he’s followed for ten years and continue to shut himself out? Apparently the quest rested on this decision, though Keith didn’t see how, and it was angering him more and more. 

He thought that the last person he’d want to talk about this with was Aphrodite, the goddess of love who happened to be Lance’s mother, but to his surprise, he found himself asking saying, “i… don’t. I don’t know what to do, and i need your advise.”

Clasping her hands together and giving a small, content sigh, Aphrodite said, “That’s what i’m here for.”

“What should i do?”

“I’ll tell you what i told my boy Lance,” she said. “If you don’t get over your fear, all the fights you’ve been through, all the time you’ve been travelling, all of it will go down the drain. Even if you make it to prometheus and fight with everything you have, Hestia will die if you continue to be afraid.” 

Aphrodite was actually being sincere and wasn’t making a joke out of the situation. Keith hadn’t known the goddess for long, but he figured that it took a lot to get her to stop giggling and gossiping. There was a spark in her eye and she spoke slowly, making sure Keith got every word of what she was saying. When she wasn’t bubbly and making a joke out of everything, Keith saw the true intelligence she held, and it made him wonder about the Aphrodite kids back at camp. When you got through the flirting and over enthusiasm, they were probably pretty smart and skilled. Lance showed that, but Keith wondered why he was the only one to actually break through and show his skills to the world. 

“But why?” Keith asked. “How does this serious, world saving quest rely on me and Lances fears? And didn’t the prophecy already foresee us ‘destroying the fire’ or something? You can’t change a prophecy.” 

“Prophecies rarely make sense until the quest is over, and you’d do best not to dwell on it. A huge prophecy foresaw Percy Jackson’s ‘death’ when he was 16, and now he’s at college with his girlfriend. Don’t try to make sense of the prophecy, it’ll only confuse you more,” She told Keith. “As for the first part of the question, I’m not sure about how your fears matter, but you have to trust that it does. I’m afraid that’s all i can say.” 

Keith sighed, and for the first time, he was honest about something he had been trying to convince himself otherwise of. “I just… i don’t know if i can. My fear’s been brewing for ten years, and i don’t know if i can get past it. And i think i’m too scared to try.” 

Keith was used to suppressing things, and for one of the first times, he was aware of how much his emotions were ruling over him. He didn’t like that restraint, and he didn’t like the feeling of not being in control. He was scared that if he tried to battle this fear, it would overwhelm and consume him. He never thought he would tell anyone about the agonizing war in his mind, but here he was bearing it all to Aphrodite, and weirdly, he actually felt good getting this off his chest. 

“Maybe that’s the hardest part of this quest,” she said, her smile soft. “You’ve fought monsters for almost all your life, and now you’re fighting with yourself. The quest said that you’d face hardships, and maybe getting over your fear is what it’s talking about.”

“What if i can’t, though?” He said, his voice embarrassingly shaking. “What if i fail and it ruins this quest?”

Aphrodite sighed and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “You know, i think Lance is scared as well. He has his own reasons that differ from yours, of course, but he is scared nonetheless. You two want this quest to go great, and all this emotional stuff is new for you two in your own ways. I think the problem is that your hearts aren’t in it. If you want this and give an honest effort, i don’t think you’ll fail.” 

Keith sighed, composing himself. “What should do? How do i get over this?”

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’ve been beginning to suspect your feelings for a certain blue eyed son of mine, haven’t you?”

Keith thought he would shut himself off right there, their conversation getting to a point he could no longer handle. But to his surprise, and with his face hot with blush, he muttered, “I think so, yeah.”

“You’re definitely more in touch with your feelings than my son, and that’s saying something,” Aphrodite said with a sigh. 

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” She said. “You should start there. You know that you could love Lance, so you should stop seeing that as a bad thing. Let him in, talk to him, stop being so closed off.”

Keith's heart sank and he almost wanted to say ‘do i have to?’ as if he was a complaining eight year old. This whole quest, that was exactly what Keith’s been trying to avoid. He’s shut people out his whole life, but Lance was different. He felt almost compelled to distance himself, as if his brain was working extra hard to make sure they didn’t get close. 

“I’ll try,” Keith found himself saying, though not very enthusiastic about it. 

“That’s what i want to hear,” she said with a small happy squeal. Keith was about to get up from his chair, but Aphrodite’s voice sounded before he could. “Oh, and another thing...” Her expression turned a bit darker, her smile gone and her eyes holding glimpses of what looked like shame. “If you get that information you want on your past… i just hope you don’t think too poorly of me.”

“Why would i?” 

“You’ll see when you find out. Just know that i regret the decision I made,” she said, her face etched with guilt that made Keith worry. Weirdly, he actually liked Aphrodite. She was nice, and he felt open with her. He didn’t understand why Lance was so bitter towards her. Keith hoped that when he learned about whatever he was talking about, he wouldn’t have this little relationship spoiled for him as well. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Keith said genuinely. “...I have one last question of my own,” he said, hesitating to bringing up something that had been on his mind this whole quest. “When this quest is over, assuming we succeed on it, what will be next for me?”

Aphrodite's guilt ridden face turned lighter with that question. She gave a wide smile that made all the different colors in her eyes pop, specifically the blueness in them that matched Lance's. “If you get over your fear and everything goes smoothly, just know that you’ll be happy.”

The idea of actually having a happy life was unknown to Keith. In the years he’s been alone, he’s been too concerned with staying alive to think about much else, and Aphrodite saying that he would be happy once all this was over was something he could hold on to for the rest of the quest. 

He returned the smile Aphrodite had given him. “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll follow your advise, or i’ll try at least.” 

“Good,” she said a bit smugly, but kindley. “Now can you go get my boy? I think it’s time i leave and i’d like to say goodbye.”

After walking into the cot and bringing out Lance, who’d been lying on the floor of the tent and staring up at nothing, obviously deep in thought, the two of them saw the table, chairs, and tent gone, and Aphrodite standing where they last stood. Lance seemed uncomfortable to be in her presence again, but he didn’t look as angry as before. 

Once they were there, she bid them farewell and gave them some final thoughts. “Remember what i said about the nymph, and you two would do best to listen to the advice i gave you,” She said, giving each of them a long, knowing look. Lance looked down at his feet, his face full of something Keith couldn’t quite make out. “I’ll leave this cot here if you two would like to rest a bit before getting back to the quest. I left a bag of medical supplies, food, and clothes, and i’m sure Lance will have no problem getting another ride,” She said with a small smile. 

“Uh, thanks for the help,” Lance said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

Her smile was a bit more genuine after hearing that, and she continued talking after giving a small sigh. “It was nice seeing you both, and i hope to see you again when this is all over.” She gave a little nod to Keith, then to Lance. It looked like she wanted to say something else to him, but she must’ve decided against it. “Listen to what i told you two, and good luck!” Not missing a beat, she turned into a flock of doves that flew into the sky and scattered, which Keith thought was a bit too dramatic than necessary. 

After a few seconds of silence, Lance looked over at Keith and sighed. “Well, that was fun.” He turned around and entered the cot that Aphrodite had left there and he flopped down onto one of the beds. 

“So i guess we’re camping out for a bit?” Keith said, entering the cot behind him. He sat on the bed opposite Lance, looking over the boy. His eyes seemed heavy with thought and his face was lacking the usual energy it had. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed instead of their usually expressive state. His body was unmoving on the bed as he looked straight up. Keith was getting even more worried. 

“What did you guys talk about?” Lance asked before Keith could speak up, not averting his gaze from the top of the tent. 

“Nothi-” he started, though catching himself. He remembered what Aphrodite said, about how he had to make an effort. He shouldn’t shut himself out. He shouldn't add new secrets to the plentiful ones he already had. He looked away from Lance, and he forced the words out. “We, uh, talked about my biggest fear and stuff… and how to get over it and all that.” 

Lance turned his head quickly to look at Keith, confusion on his face. “You seem talkative,” he mumbled. 

“What about you? What did you guys talk about?” 

Lance took a deep breath. “Stuff…” 

Since when was Keith the talkative one and Lance the pent up one? Keith felt it actually frustrating. He was trying to make conversation and now, of all times, Lance wasn’t up for it. 

His bad mood had started when Aphrodite arrived, and after he talked with her that bad mood had spiraled to something even more. He seemed fragile, like his mind had been torn up and sewn back together with a weak thread.

“You’re probably not gonna answer,” Keith began, “but why don’t you like your mom? I thought you liked being a child of Aphrodite.” 

Lance took another deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He sat up and looked at Keith, and it appeared he was having a conversation with himself inside his mind. Unexpectedly, Lance answered. “She just hasn’t made my life the easiest. I had to leave my family and i’m alway in danger thanks to her making me a demigod. And i’m always stereotyped around camp. Remember Mason? That’s what everyone thinks about me, though they just don’t say it.”

“Well… you can’t really blame Aphrodite for giving birth to you. She didn’t make you a demigod by choice.”

Lance scoffed. “I knew you wouldn’t get it.”

“Of course i get it,” Keith said quickly, feeling bad. “Or have you forgotten about how everyone at camp was scared of me and thought of me as a bad omen or something?”

“Oh yeah…”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not only that, though,” Lance said, moving his hands around as he talked. “After being forced away from my family and on my own for a year, i was scared and i just wanted to know what was going on. She never talked to me or visited me or anything. After i got claimed, i thought she would speak with me then, but she never did. I needed her, and she was wasn’t there for me, and now she shows up just because the world is ending. She didn’t even show up for me.”

Keith didn’t know what to say. When he started this conversation, he hadn’t planned on actually getting into deep stuff like this. Luckily, he didn’t have to say anything because Lance continued on. 

“But when we were talking, she apologized, and she talked about how she was afraid of getting too attached to me like she was to her daughter who died in a war a few years back. And… i’ve been angry at her for so many years, but after we talked i wasn’t as angry. I actually felt kinda bad for her, and i think i’m angry at myself for forgiving her so easily.”

Lance let out a long breath and looked up at Keith to signal that he was done talking. And now, Keith actually knew what to say. “What if you’ve been angry for so long that you just tired yourself out? Maybe that anger has been tiring you out, and you were actually itching to get rid of it, so when Aphrodite showed some vulnerability you jumped on your chance to let go of that anger.”

“Huh,” Lance said, staring into space, obviously thinking over what Keith had said and even looking as if he understood and agreed with it. Then he shook his head like a god drying off after a swim, looking at Keith with a confused expression on his face. “Wait, why the hell am i talking about this with you?”

“Because i asked and you answered.”

“Yeah, but…” He trailed off, looking into space again. “Whatever,” he mumbled finally, “just forget everything i said.”

Lance wouldn’t talk about it, but Keith was dieing to know what he and his mother had talked about. It affected the boy Keith had spent days getting to know more than anything he’s seen so far. This was the same boy that he’d sang a stupid country song with; the same boy he had kissed; the same boy he was now realizing he had feelings for. Keith only hoped that Lance would be more like himself after some rest. 

The two of them laid in silence in the cot, each on their individual bed. Keith could tell that Lance was pretending the sleep, but after a while his short breaths turned to longer ones as he actually fell into a slumber. Keith, on the other hand, was too consumed with his own thoughts to sleep. 

He looked over at Lance and thought of how prideful and withholding the boy was, and how it was impossible to hold a conversation with him. He thought of the anger in his face when he saw his mom and when he had beaten up Mason, and just how angry Lance was as a person, though he managed to cover him up. Keith thought of how despite all this, he still liked Lance. 

Keith felt light when they laughed together. His breath hitched in his throat when he watched Lance fight. Lance seemed to defy the rules Keith had been following without fault for almost all his life. Keith liked Lance, and it scared him, but he was ready to get over that fear, just as Aphrodite had told him to. 

The thing is, Keith can’t do that when Lance won't let him in. The guy probably didn’t even like him back. He was rude to Keith a lot, and had always tried to challenge him. He blocked him out, like he just did. All this romance stuff is new to Keith, but the idea of Lance not liking him back, something that was highly likely, tore him apart.

However, a more hopeful side of Keith didn’t focus on that. He thought of how the two of them kissed, and it had felt so real and not fake, as the two of them had tried to make it out to be. He remembered when they sang together and laughed so hard their stomachs had hurt. He thought of the look Lance had given him at the camp lake and again in the car, a look that showed so many things, none of them platonic. Perhaps there was a possibility that Lance did like Keith.

Keith exhaled and did his best to not dwell on these thoughts, which was a hard thing not to do. Eventually, the tiredness Keith still had left inside him from the fight with the demon took hold and pulled him into a sleep, giving him a break from his restless mind. What felt like minutes later, his eyes were slowly blinking open, noise waking him up. Lance was standing up, out of bed and pulling on a new grey shirt.

“Rise and shine,” Lance said, noticing Keith’s open eyes. “We better hit the road, we’ve been sleeping for a few hours.” Keith, who was still slightly delirious with sleep and not sure if he was dreaming or not, just looked at Lance. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” The boy seemed more chipper than he had been right after the talk with his mother, as Keith hoped he would be, but Keith could still notice his smile a bit more forced than usual, and every few seconds that smile would fall and his face would be stuck in a thoughtful gaze. 

Keith stood up from the bed and changed as well, pulling on a black v-neck Aphrodite had left behind and wearing the army jacket he had gotten from the Aphrodite cabin all those days back. Lance himself was wearing an unzipped, black racer jacket. Aphrodite had left two back packs for the boys, filled with all the supplies they needed plus the necklace, mirror, and raven jacket. The sleeping cot also folded, fully furnished, to the size of a shirt thanks to some magic. 

The two boys decided to take a bus for a few hour and switch to a car later on, so they walked to a bus stop and waited, the air unusually cold and crisp for the time of year. 

“Thanks, by the way,” Keith told Lance, remembering something. 

“For what?”

“Back at the fight with the demon, you shot it and basically stopped it from killing me.”

“Oh, that? It was nothing,” Lance said. “I was practically useless the whole fight.” 

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Keith said, maybe a bit too aggressively. “We were facing one of the most foul creatures of the underworld whose power is literally to strike fear into people.”

Lance sighed. “I guess… and it was a pretty good shot on my part,” he said with a small smirk, a bit of his lanceness coming back after a period of such sorrow and confusion. “So, do you have control of your weird death powers now or something?”

“I think so. I didn’t pass out on the ground during that battle, which is a good thing.”

“Yeah,” Lance snickered. “I’ve carried your unconscious body not once, but twice, and i wouldn’t appreciate a third time.”

“We both would appreciate that.”

“How did you do it? Get control of your powers, i mean.”

Keith sighed and again reminded himself to follow Aphrodite's advice to be more open. Reluctantly, he spoke. “I guess i accepted the fact that Hades is my dad. I still don’t like it, but i’m done denying it to myself, so that must’ve opened something up.”

“Strange…” Lance said. 

“What is?”

“It’s just… that’s actually kinda how i got grasp of my charmspeak powers after discovering i had them. After going through the motions and realizing who my mom was yada yada, i was like ‘Alright, might as well use this cool ass power my mom gave me, even if i don’t like her.’”

“Neat.”

The two boarded the bus, sitting next to each other and putting their bags on their laps. Keith was hyper aware of each time there was a bump in the road and his and Lances sides brushed up against each other. Lance seemed to be aware as well and tried to scootch a bit farther away, but the bus would just hit a hole and force them together again. The two stayed in silence, sharing a bag of chips and looking out the windows of the bus. 

Lance still had that thoughtful gaze on his face, and he was quieter than usual. The aftermath of the talk with Aphrodite had subsided but was definitely still there.

“Are you… sure you’re okay?” Keith found himself asking again.

“Why do you ask?” 

“I don’t know. You just don’t seem like yourself. You seem sad.”

“I do?”

“Yeah.”

Lance's face kind of fell, showing more sadness and vulnerability, and Keith was now regretting even bringing up the subject. Lance was about to look back in front of himself and probably say something like ‘it’s nothing’ or ‘none of your business,’ but he seemed to have second thoughts. He deeply sighed, as if he had been holding in a breath forever, and his shoulders relaxed. “Aphrodite told me my biggest fear, you know, the one that could possibly end the world, and i guess i never really thought about it until now. And it’s just a really stupid fear to have, especially for me, but it totally makes sense, and i’m just super aware of it now.”

Keith was surprised at the openness, and he related to Lance more than words could begin to explain. Lance was acting so strange. He was switching between being more closed off than usual to being more open than he had been the past few days. It was like a war was going on inside his mind, which again, Keith could relate to. “What’s your fear?” 

Lance chewed on his lip, and again it looked like he was going to say something rude, but he actually looked at Keith and said, “If you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.”

Keith gave a deep sigh of his own, and a million thought were in his mind. He wanted to run but there was nowhere to go; he wanted to avoid the conversation but Lance was right next to him; he wanted to say something mean but he had Aphrodite’s advice to think about. “I… I can’t. I can’t tell you, not now, at least.”

“It’s chill,” Lance said with a shrug, “i’m not particularly jumping on the chance to share mine.”

After a few seconds, Keith snickered. “Normal friends talk about school and tv shows, while we’re here talking about our greatest fears, which have to do with the end of the world because someone kidnapped a greek goddess. Our lives are weird.” Lance gave a small laugh, but then looked at Keith with a weird look on his face. “...what?” Keith asked.

“Friends. You called us friends,” Lance pointed out. 

“Oh…” Keith said, not even noticing. Lance didn’t reply, he just looked out the window, but Keith could see him try to repress a smile. 

More time passed by. Lance rubbed the mostly healed bites on his bicep and tapped his leg restlessly. Keith played with the glowing pendant, which had been steadily increasing in brightness as they got closer to florida. 

After about an hour on the bus, the door hissed open and in walked a man with normal clothes on, but a big, pink, plush dog head on his own head. The guy stayed standing with his hand on a pole despite there being many open chairs. 

Lance inched a bit closer to Keith with a mocking smile on his face. “Is there a fucking furry on this bus?”

Keith probably would’ve laughed as well, but something seemed strange. Stranger than a grown man wearing a plush dog head. After a few minutes of the bus ride, Lance seemed to sense it as well as he kept giving nervous glances over to the furry. 

With his hand on his sheath and keeping his attention on the man, Keith along with Lance rode through a few more streets. Finally, they came to a stop in front of a big building with a sign that read ‘Furry Con 2017.’

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Lance mumbled as he watched the man get off the bus. 

The two boys settled in for a few more stops on the bus until the driver announced a problem and that everyone had to get off. Lance, Keith and the other six people grabbed their things and waited on the curb as the driver poked around. He told them that the bus wouldn’t be up and running for a few more hours, to which all the passengers groaned at. 

“Want to get some food before we go find another ride?” Keith purposed. 

“Sounds good.” 

The two glanced around, but there weren’t any restaurants or gas stations in sight. Keith took a look at the big building and saw another sign that said “Free food served!” 

Lance saw where he was looking and shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

“It’s the only place to go.”

Lance groaned loudly, dropping his head, and mumbled, “fine, let’s go.” 

They entered to see many booths set up, selling weird stuff that made Keith uncomfortable. The two boys navigated through the crowds of people in varying animal costumes as they tried to find a food court. Every time one of the furries brushed up against Lance, his face would turn into one of disgust, which Keith laughed at.

They followed the signs and eventually smelled the food, making both of their stomachs grumble. As promised, they found booths of free food. Lance got two sizzling and warm slices of pizza and Keith got a large burger. They ate the food happily, happy at having a hot meal instead of chips like they’d been living off them for days. 

They looked around the room and Keith noted that there wasn’t anyone eating any food, just furries sitting at clear tables. That added to the unsettled feeling that had been in the pit of his stomach since walking into the building. It was fairly entertaining looking at all the people around, though. A few tables away were two furries ‘arfing’ at each other, making Lance pretend to gag and Keith laugh at his reaction. 

Keith looked around. The place was very crowded, and some of the people there were staring at the two boys through their weird animal suits. “Why is this convention thing at eleven A.M on a wednesday? Isn’t it a bit strange?” Keith asked finally, voicing the concern he’s had the entire time they were in the building. 

“I don’t know, man, but that dude on the bus was giving me weird vibes,” Lance responded, taking a loud sip of his coke. “I just wanna eat and get outta here.”

“I second that.” The boys finished their meals a bit quicker, Keith burping from how fast he drank his soda, followed by Lance giving out a few crisp laughs while throwing his head back, making Keith feel butterflies in his stomach.The two of them talked about their plan and how they’d get to Lecto’s restaurant. They went over the time limit and how fast they’d need to go to get to florida by the end of the week. 

When they were ready to leave, Keith got up with the two boy’s trash in hand. As Lance stayed back, he headed over to the trashcan at the opposite side of the upstairs dining hall they were in. He dumped the plates and napkins in it and turned around to see two furries blocking his way. One was the man from the bus, and the other was one Keith had seen downstairs. 

“Uh, excuse me,” Keith said, being totally blocked in by the two. He heard a throaty growl from one of them, which sounded way too real to be made by a human. With a hand on his sheath, Keith squinted his eyes and took a real, clear look at the furries. It was a bit fuzzy, but when he looked at them he saw that their heads weren’t fake. They were human from their feet to their neck, but then the skin transitioned to fur, and their heads were the ones of real dogs, one being a doberman and the other a german shepard. 

Now certain that they were monsters, Keith quickly took out his knife and slashed twice in a large arch, disintegrating the two monsters. He started to walk fast back to Lance, but a few more furry-creature-things saw him and started walking towards him as well. Keith broke into a sprint. 

“Lance!” he called. “Lance, we gotta go!”

“Monsters?” Lance asked, standing up. Keith gave him a nod. “Let’s get the hell away from these furries.”

Lance, looking around at the creatures and realizing they weren’t human, took out his gun and shot four accurate shots at the monsters coming closer to them. The two boys pulled on their back packs and ran for the stairs, but there was now a huge crowd coming for them from downstairs. Keith activated his sword to wield a blade in each hand. He shot forward and let his battle instincts take over. There were a few close calls as his arms got too close to the creatures mouths, but Keith was doing pretty well and wasn’t injured yet. He looked over and saw Lance rapid firing, though with intense accuracy. His face was a vision of concentration as the creatures barely got close to him.

“What are these things?” Keith called. 

“I think they’re Cynocephalus,” Lance said in between shots, “A tribe of dog people. I still prefer them to furries.”

The two fought more, still trying to find a way downstairs but being overrun by monsters. One cynocephali ran fast at Keith, so he elbowed it in the snout and kicked it into the crowd, causing four more topple over. Keith knew they’d be overpowered soon, and if they didn’t get downstairs they wouldn’t be able to get away. How could they get down there without using the stairs? 

“I know how to get out!” Keith called to Lance, an idea popping into his head. He was the son of Hades, and he controlled the earth. The floor they stood on now wasn’t earth, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any nearby. Keith focused and connected with the ground underneath the first floor. He pictured the ground cracking and that crack running up the side of the building, and when he opened his eyes, it happened. Out the window Keith saw a large crack in the earth, making it lightly rumle. It made the pillars at the sides of the building crack as well, and the crack ran across the floor of the second story. A pig piece of the floor crumpled to the ground, leaving a good sized opening to the first floor.

Keith was brought out of his focus painfully as one of the creatures sunk its teeth deep into his right side. Keith managed to stab it off him but only after it had done a good amount of tearing. He tried to work through the pain and ignore the injury since they still weren’t out of the clear. 

“C’mon!” he called to Lance, who was distracted and hadn't seen him get bitten. The boy rushed over. 

“We’re gonna jump down there?” Lance asked. The fall was survivable, but still fairly high. 

“Do you want to get eaten by dog people or risk breaking a bone?” Keith shouted, his side hurting and wanting to get out of this situation. 

“Okay, fine!” Lance shouted. 

Keith grabbed Lance's hand, which was very soft, and counted down. “One, two, three, jump!” And then they were falling. They hit the ground hard, but Keith didn’t feel anything broken. Lance, on the other hand, hadn’t been so lucky and landed hard on his ankle. 

“Shit!” he said in pain, his face white and his foot bending in a way that made Keith want to puke. 

There weren’t many monsters downstairs since all of them had run upstairs when the fight had started, but they now were looking down the hole the boys had jumped down and were heading to the staircase to get them. 

Keith scrambled to his feet and helped up Lance, who yelled loudly at even a little bit of weight on his foot. “We have to get out of here,” he told Lance. 

“Wow, thanks,” Lance murmured, “I never would have suggested that.” His skin was pale but very warm, and his breathing was becoming raid. From what Keith had read up, he knew Lance was going into shock from the pain, which wasn’t good. Not seeing any other option, Keith swept up Lance in a bridal carry. His side was aching, but at least he could walk.  
Keith ran through the floor, trying to find a way out and dodging a monster every few feet. Though Lance wasn’t doing too well, he still managed to shoot and hit a few creatures while being carried by Keith. 

“We’re not gonna get out of here,” Lance said, unusually pessimistic. “Can you do your death power stuff?”

“The situation’s too hectic,” Keith said. “Plus, i’ll get too tired out and i won’t be able to carry you out of here.” 

One particularly angry monster saw the pair and started barking, alerting all its brethren from upstairs and the area surrounding them of their location. Lance shot at the monster, but it took a few hits to get him. The others had already been alerted to where the boys were, and they were coming for them quickly. 

“Can you charmspeak them?” Keith asked. 

“I don’t think these mutts would find me attractive.”

“Try anyway!”

“Hey, dog people, don’t you think it would be fun to go and chase a tennis ball instead up us?” Lance tried, his voice serine. “I think there’s one over there, you should go get it!” The dogs continued to growl angrily, not backing off in the slightest. “It’s not working!” Lance told Keith. “I could barely charmspeak the driver of the bus, i just can’t charmspeak!”

“You’re too angry at your mom,” Keith said, not knowing where this advice was coming from. “Stop thinking of her charmspeak as a gift from her, and instead think of it as what it is: your power. Embrace it! Think of something you like!”

Lance groaned in frustration, his face still contorted in pain from his ankle. After looking around at the snarling monsters around them, Lance closed his eyes and Keith felt him give a deep sigh. He opened his eyes, and took a long, strange look at Keith. He turned to face the dogs and in a firm but still charmspeaked voice, he yelled, “Sit!” More than half of the hundreds of monsters plopped down on the ground. “Stay! But if anything tries to come after us, destroy them.” 

Keith felt the charmspeak slightly affect him since it was so strong, and he had to consciously decide to keep standing and to run out the front door of the big building they were in. Keith was relieved to be back outside, desperately wanting to get away from the killer furries. As he ran away, he heard the monsters that hadn't been charmspeaked get up to chase the two of them, but the ones who were following Lances command immediately pounced, making it a dog on dog battle. 

“Nicely done,” Keith told Lance in between heavy breaths as he ran as far away as he could, the bus outside still not working.

Lance, who was getting worse and definitely needed some rest, just nodded, looking confused, though Keith didn’t know at what. 

Keith didn’t know how far he ran, but with a gash in his side and carrying an injured boy, it felt like ten years. After things felt safe, or as safe as it could be for two demigods, they set down. They were on a bench in a small green area near the road. 

“This is gonna hurt,” Keith warned once he removed Lances shoe and saw the foot slanting in a way it shouldn’t. A combination of the pain and the mere sight of the deformed foot made Lance lean over and throw up, gaining the attention of a few pedestrians walking nearby. 

“Just get it over with,” Lance groaned, wincing in anticipation. “Wait, wait! Give me your jacket.” 

“Uh, why do you need it?” Keith asked with hesitation in his voice. If he took off his jacket, Lance would see the tattered and bloodstained shirt from the bite in his side. Lance had enough to worry about now, and Keith was dealing with the pain. Once the situation was settled down and Lance was in the clear, then he’d deal with it. 

“To bite down on, or else this entire street will hear me yell and most likely will call the cops,” Lance said reasonably. 

“Use your own jacket.” 

Lance scoffed and removed his leather racer jacket. “You’re such a jerk.”

“Ready?” Keith asked, getting an unenthusiastic nod from Lance, who’s sleeve was twisted and in between his teeth. “On three? One, two-” crack. Keith abruptly reset the bone with a sickening sound and a muffled scream from Lance, who looked woozy and almost passed out onto the ground from the pain.

“Again… you’re a jerk,” Lance breathed out, his face pale and his body shaking slightly.

“I thought the element of surprise would be better.”

“Whatever. where’s the splint?”

Keith took out the angle splint that was conveniently in one of Aphrodite's packs and put it around Lances foot. That immobilized the ankle and slightly relieved the pain, but Lance still couldn’t walk. He wolfed down almost too much ambrosia, Keith making him stop as foils of smoke were literally coming off his skin. 

The next person who walked towards them, a guy in his twenties, was chamspeaked into giving Lance his car, and the two of them had a ride. The boys hoped that by the time they needed to make another stop, the ambrosia would heal the ankle so that Lance could at least walk on it.

“It’s been an eventful day,” Lance said once they were settled down with Keith at the wheel and driving through the day. “Mommy issues and furries? My two nightmares.”

Keith gave a small chuckle at that, glad to see Lance joking like his old self. “What could be next?”

“I’m not sure i even want to know.”

And neither did Keith. If everything went smoothly, he’d have all the information on his past in the next day or two. All the questions he’s had since the age of ten would be answered. Things would click into place. But for one of the first times… Keith didn’t know if he wanted them to. Things would change, no doubt. His secrets would be outed, or he’d learn something about himself he didn’t want to know, or some other bad thing. This isn’t light information; it’s everything to Keith, and maybe that’s too much to handle. Still, he drove with a purpose. He didn’t go this far just to turn back, and still, they had a quest to go on. 

His attention was torn away from the road when a sharp pain appeared in his side, the one he’d been bitten in and still not treated. He should probably do something about that, but Lance couldn’t thrive with his ankle like that and they had to make as much ground as they could, so for the third time today, he chose to ignore the injury. 

Keith drove the whole night with Lance sleeping, periodically waking up in pain, complaining for an hour, and falling back asleep, which made Keith laugh. Soon enough, the sun began to rise and Keith was yawning uncontrollably behind the wheel.

“You wanna stop for a few hours so you can get some rest?” Lance asked, noticing the dark eye bags. “You look like you’re gonna pass out.”

‘That’s because of the huge gash in my side,’ Keith thought to himself. “We don’t have time, i can go for a few more hours.”

“You sure? I can try to drive.”

“Your foot’s all messed up,” Keith pointed out. 

“You don’t have to remind me,” Lance groaned, sinking down in his seat. “Stupid ankle! Why do you break so easily!” He yelled at his leg. 

“I don’t think that yelling at it is gonna help.”

“Yeah, yeah. Can we at least stop at a drugstore for a few minutes? We need some food and stuff.”

“Fine.” Keith pulled into the big parking lot of a Walgreens, stepping out of the car and stretching his legs that had been confined all night. “Can you walk?”

Lance got out of the car with a small gasp of pain, but walked over to Keith with a slight limp. With a fake look of wonderment on his face, he said, “It’s a miracle.”

Keith laughed and said, “C’mon, idiot.” 

The two of them roamed the aisles, looking for anything they might need. Keith grabbed some chips and nuts while Lance grabbed some painkillers. They met up at the first aid aisle to fill their bags with what Aphrodite hadn’t given them. 

Sleepily, Keith yawned and raised his arms above his head, only remembering his injury when the action caused a jolt of pain. He quickly put his arms down, concealing his blood stained shirt under his jacket again. 

“Woah, woah, woah,” Lance said, concern shown on his face. “What’s that?”

“What’s what?” Keith said, playing dumb. Before he could even react, Lance grabbed his jacket and pushed it aside, looking at the wound. 

“What the hell?!” Lance exclaimed, making the tired looking cashier look over at them. He grabbed Keith by the collar of his shirt and started dragging him out the walgreens automatic doors. “We’re taking this stuff!” Lance charmspeak, still holding bins of groceries. 

“M’kay,” the cashier responded. 

“Man, it’s not that bad!” Keith said. They were back at the car and Lance was forcibly bandaging his wound. 

“Yes it is!” Lance said, bandaging him a bit too tight. “I'm surprised you didn’t pass out from blood loss, and this could’ve easily gotten infected! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You had enough to worry about,” Keith murmured, uncomfortably sitting shirtless in a Walgreens parking lot. “And you can’t drive, and i knew you wouldn’t let me drive. Our time’s running out, we need to hurry.”

“If you die, we won't have any chance at beating this quest. Did you think of that?” Lance asked. 

“Why do you even care?” Keith asked. 

“Because you’re my friend and i care about you, mullet!” Lance exclaimed, though he looked like he regret saying it seconds later. 

Something in Keith's stomach did summersaults, a million emotions going on in his head. “You care about me?” 

“I guess,” Lance murmured, not making eye contact. “Now, can we just camp out for a few hours so you can get some stupid rest?” 

“I-uh… sure,” Keith said, not knowing what else to say. 

The two of them set down the foldable tent from Aphrodite right on the walgreens parking lot, not knowing where else to put it. Lance sat on his cot, though he didn’t sleep, while Keith lay on his own. 

Keith's mind was racing. Lance had called him his friend, and Keith had done so on the bus. Sure, he’d had some acquaintances through the years, but the only established friend he’s had in the years he spent alone was Shiro. Now he has Lance. They were friends, and Keith actually liked that, which was such a drastic difference to every impulse trying to push Lance away in the earlier days of their quest. Even though there was some indescribably good feeling at their mutual friendship, there was almost a small hint of disappointment there as well. Maybe Keith wanted their relationship to go further than friends.

At that moment, Keith realised how far his and Lances relationship had come. At the beginning, Keith didn’t know what to think of the guy, then he kind of annoyed Keith, then Lance kinda scared him as he knew there was some emotion for him there, which Keith didn’t want at the time. Now, they seemed closer, and they were friends. Infact, Keith was ready to follow Aphrodites advise, and he was ready to tell Lance something…

“Hey, you know how, uh, at the dinner you asked me what happened in my childhood?” 

“yeah?” Lance asked, looking over at Keith. 

“You still wanna know?” 

“Yeah! I mean, uh, sure, no big deal,” Lance said, trying to downplay his curiosity. 

Keith took a deep breath. An impulse was urging him to shut up and say nothing, but he pushed on. If he got that information from Lecto, Lance would know soon enough. “I grew up with my dad. We had a house n’stuff-”

“In a state you can’t remember.” 

“Mhm,” Keith said, feeling unsettled by that again. “And he was a good dad, that part of my childhood was pretty good… i think.” It was starting to bug Keith how little he actually remembered from that time. After years of trying to forget something, he must’ve actually blocked it out. “Then, when i was ten, he just brought me into a forest and abandoned me. He said a bunch of weird stuff that i still don’t really understand, and it didn’t seem like he wanted to leave, but he still did. He literally just told me he had to leave and left me in a forest, during the night, in december.”

“That doesn’t sound fun.”

“Yeah, not really. He’s the one who gave me this necklace,” Keith said, looking down at the glowing pendant, “and he said that someone was gonna be checking in on me.” Lance sat up, as did Keith, so they were now looking across at each other. “That person was Hestia, the goddess. I have no idea how my dad knew her or why she kept tabs on me, but she lived up to what my dad said and visited me from time to time, giving me a little info about the gods and stuff.” 

“Is that why you wanted to go on this quest?” Lance asked. 

“That brings me to the next part of the story. Pretty recently, only a few weeks ago, hestia showed up and gave me really vague instructions on how to get to camp. She seemed panicked and like something was wrong.” Keith took in another deep breath, his heart beating fast from nervousness he didn’t know the origin of. “I didn’t want to go at camp, because i didn't want to leave the friend i was staying with at the time, but Hestia told me that my dad wanted me to go and that i had some important task at camp. She told me the people there needed me, and that i needed to people there, which i still don’t get. And that’s what led me to camp, and that’s the reason i’m on this quest.”

“Huh… You had a very strange childhood,” Lance said.

“Yeah, you’re telling me,” Keith said with a nervous laugh. He paused and twiddled his thumbs. “And by the way, i’ve, uh, never told this to anyone else before.”

Obviously trying to bring down the awkwardness of the conversation, Lance fake gasped and said, “So that means i’m special?” 

“Sure,” Keith said with another nervous laugh. 

“And the information you’re looking for from the nymph,” Lance began, “You wanna know why your dad left, right?”

“Yeah, and a lot of other stuff. I don’t even know how i ended up with my dad, since he isn’t my real father. Also, i literally know nothing about my mom.”

Lance sighed. “What do you think you’ll find out? Like, what are you hoping you’ll learn?”

“I don’t know…” Keith said, not really having thought of it before now. “I guess i just want my questions answered. I’m not really expecting a tearful reunion with my parents or anything, i just want to know who they are.”

Lance nodded and the two of them shared a moment of quiet. “Why are you telling me this?” Lance asked after a few seconds, true curiosity in his face. “Every time something even slightly relating to your past comes up in conversation, you just shut down and don’t say anything, so what’s different now?”

“I guess… i trust you,” keith said, thinking it over for a few seconds. “You said it yourself. We’re friends, right?” 

“Hell yeah we are,” Lance said with a blinding smile that made sparks go down Keith’s spine.

Keith felt like a chain had been taken off his ankle. This baggage, the secrets of his childhood, felt lighter, and Keith felt like he could finally breath. Of course, he still had a few secrets up his sleeve, but they almost felt natural now. Everyone has a few secrets, but the ones Keith had held were too much, and they were too heavy to carry by himself. Now, he didn’t have to carry that weight alone. 

“What about you?” Keith asked. “You have any huge secrets you wanna share? Now’s the time.” 

“I don’t think i have many things left to tell you,” Lance said. “I gave an emo explanation about why i don’t like my mom and all that.” He looked a bit sceptical about his own statement, though. Keith didn’t press any harder.

“We should probably get some rest now,” Keith said. “We shouldn't stay here too long.”

“Good call, Keithy boy.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“C’mon! We just had a whole bonding moment and i still can’t call you ‘Keithy boy’?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Fine. Whatever you say,” Lance said, laying down on the cot. “Good night, Keithy boy.”

“Dud-”

“Sorry, i’m already asleep, can’t hear you.”

Keith scoffed light heartedly and copied Lance, lying down and closing his eyes. With a light feeling in his his heart and that big weight off his chest, he fell asleep quickly.

\---Lance’s P.O.V:

“You sure you’re alright?” Lance asked Keith a few hours later after they’d woken up and Keith was behind the wheel. “That gash is pretty gnarly. We can take the bus again if you want.”

“Taking the bus didn’t end so well last time. I don’t wanna risk it again, i’ll be fine.” With that, he pulled out of the Walgreens parking lot and made their way to Tennessee. 

The two of them were getting to the end of their quest. They were only a few hours away from the restaurant they were meeting the wind nymph at, and if all went well there, they’d be on their way to Prometheus. Lance had no idea how they’d beat him when the time came, and it was making him more and more nervous as they got closer. Each time Lance looked at the pendant on Keith's chest, increasing in glow as they drove, his heart jumped with nerves.

“Chips?” Lance offered to Keith, opening the bag and putting it in between the two of them.

“Hell yeah,” Keith said, grabbing a handful. 

Lance couldn’t help but notice how the two of them had gotten closer over the course of this quest. Despite only knowing him for a week, Lance had told Keith about some of his insecurities and problems with his mother, which he hadn’t even told his other friends, whom he’d known for years. When he saw the bad cut on Keiths side and thought of the idea of him dying, something cold formed inside Lance, like the idea of a Keithless existence was something he couldn’t imagine. He had accidentally let it slip to Keith, and to himself as well, since he was trying to repress this particular feeling: he cared about the guy.

Ever since Allura had brought up Lance’s alleged crush on Keith, Lance had been ripping the idea out of his head obsessively. If the two were getting too close, he’d close himself off. If he felt that spark in his spine when he saw Keith’s light eyes, he’d mentally scold himself. He didn’t even let himself entertain the idea of coming closer to Keith in a… romantic style. But now, after Aphrodite’s talk and the two boys being established friends, Lance was having trouble totally eliminating those thoughts from his head. He could imagine the two together, fighting monsters and having fun, maybe laying together by the camp lake or singing more corny love songs… Maybe Allura and Aphrodite are right…

“We’re only two hours away from that restaurant,” Keith said, tearing Lance away from his thoughts, “Should we make any last minute stops or anything?”

“Uh, i- uh, no, i think we’re good,” Lance stuttered out, still thinking of the two of them actually being a couple. “We should just keep going and make sure we’re and ready to fight if it comes to that.”

“Sounds good. We have all the gifts?”

Lance held up the backpack that held the mirror, necklace, and raven cloak. “Mhm.” 

“Cool.” Lance noticed Keith's eyes focus particularly strong on the road in front of them.

“You nervous?” Lance suspected. 

Keith sighed, his shoulders untensing. “A little, yeah.” Lance was about to tell him ‘it’ll be okay,’ but he didn’t know if it would be. What does ‘okay’ even mean in this scenario? “This isn’t about me, though,” Keith said after a few seconds of silence. “This is about finding out where prometheus is.”

After some more driving and asking directions a few times, they were only minutes away from the restaurant, Angeliafóros. Keith got out of the car and straightened his bracelet and concealed his knife, while Lance made sure his gun was in its holster and his sword, which Aphrodite had gotten out of the pit it had been swallowed into along with the car, was swung across his back. Keith carried the bag with the gifts and they made their way inside.

\---Keith’s P.O.V:

“We’re here to see Lecto,” Lance said to the hostess when they entered. Her cheery face turned serious, a small nod showing that she understood, and Keith could’ve sworn he saw her skin turn momentarily translucent, making him guess that most of the people who worked at the restaurant were monsters.

“Right this way,” The hostess said as she sat the two at a relatively closed off booth away from any exits or doors. The two boys shared an uncomfortable glance at that fact as they both tried to mentally come up with an escape plan if they needed it. “She’ll be right out.” The hostess left without even giving them menus.

The restaurant was very basic and exactly what you’d expect to find at a three star Greek eatery. There were cheesy tapestries on the wall, along with fake leaves and ivory taped to the woden wall that divided the room into two parts. Though they weren’t sitting near any exits or doors, something Keith suspected was intentional, the kitchen was only a few booths away. There was most likely an exit through there. Lance looked over at it as well and the two boys made that their plan, silently. 

“Sorry for the wait, boys,” A voice said. A girl had pulled over a chair to the booth they sat at and was sitting in it smugly. She had shoulder length blond hair that seemed to be constantly moving in the wind, despite there being no breeze in the restaurant. 

“Are you Lecto?” Keith asked. 

“I’ve been expecting you, and i gotta say, just you two speaking to me is a risk. I could easily snap my fingers and all the creatures Prometheus has on his side, which is a lot, will show up to destroy you.” She held up her hand, her fingers together so that with only a small movement she could snap. “You better have something good.” Her blue, sky like eyes were filled with mischief, but also intelligence. 

“We do,” Lance said. He took out the bag with the gifts in it and placed the sparkling necklace on the table.

“A gift from Aphrodite, huh?” Lecto said with a small smile on her face. 

“For it we want Prometheus’s location, and information on his past,” Lance said with a nodd in Keith’s direction, making his heart race. This was it, they were here. If everything went well, all Keith’s questions would be answered. 

“Sweetie, i’m gonna need a lot more for all of that.”

Lance reached back into the bag and grabbed the mirror, putting it on the table next to the necklace.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” she said, “But you realize that if i tell you this, i’ll be going against a very powerful titan, and all the creatures who are ready to kill you will go after me as well. I still need a little bit more.”

Emptying the bag, Lance put the raven cloak on the table as well. Keith’s heart was beating fast, knowing that if she didn’t think this last gift was enough, they’d be dead. To both boy’s relief, her face lit up as she examined the cloak. “Is this from that flesh eating demon prometheus sent after you?” She asked. 

“The very same,” Lance responded. 

“...okay. What’s stopping me from just taking these things and killing you both? It would be easy, and much more profitable for me. What do i get by telling you?”

The two boys had luckily prepared for a question like this, and Lance spent no time thinking about his response. “If you’re as close to prometheus as we’ve heard, you'd know his goal is to kill the gods, destroying the world in the process. Not only will that mean the death of humans, but the deaths of monsters as well.” Lance sighed and gave a fake look of sympathy. “There’ll be no one who believes in you, so you won't even go to tartarus, you’ll just… stop existing. There’ll be no one to gossip about, and you’ll have no time to enjoy these gifts of ours. Doesn’t that sound lonley?”

Lecto looked like she was thinking over what he said, her eyes looking unfocused at the ceiling as she twirled a blonde lock around her finger. “You’ve got a good point, McClain. I’ll talk.” She gave a high pitched whistle and two hell hounds appeared by her side. “They’re just a precautionary measure. You try and pull anything, they’ll be on you before you can even get your swords out.”

“That’s, uh, fair,” Lance said nervously. He gave a small glance to Keith, no doubt hoping that with his parentage he would have some sort of power over the dogs snarling at them, but the hounds were looking at him just as angrily as they were at Lance.

“Prometheus is in florida, which you already knew,” Lecto began, looking at her fingernails as if the information she was sharing was not of importance. “He’s at a place called Clearwater Beach.” She was quiet for a few seconds. 

“...Is that it?”

“Oh, i should’ve mentioned, at the beach, he’s in a secret, deadly place. There are instructions, a sort of ritual, you must follow before entering it, and if you don’t follow them, you’ll die before you even step foot in there.”

“Okay, then tell us,” Lance said uneasily. 

A small smile spread across lectos face. “But that wasn’t part of the deal. You asked me where prometheus is, and i told you. I never said i’d tell you how to get there.”

“You tricked us!” Keith accused, angry at being deceived so easily. He reaching for his knife but moved his hand away when the hell hounds started to growl. 

“Now now, boys, this doesn’t have to be the end of our conversation,” She said, holding her palms out peacefully. “We can make a new deal. There’s an item of value on one of you that i’d gladfully take in exchange for the information you need.”

“What is it?” Lance asked.

Pointing at Keith’s chest, she said, “that necklace.”

“What?” Keith said defensively. “You’re not getting this.”

“It’s your choice to make. I don’t have to take it, but if i don’t you won’t have the crucial information you need. You’ll die before you even lay your eyes on prometheus.”

“What about my gun?” Lance said, taking it out of his holster. “Take this instead.” 

Keith was surprised by this. During the whole quest, that gun had been his baby, polishing it and keeping it on his belt at all times. The fact that he’d give it up for Keith made him feel warm in his chest. 

“Sorry, darling,” lecto said. “I just want that necklace.”

Keith’s heart sunk at the choice he was presented with. The necklace he wore was one of the only ties he had to his past, and it was the only thing that had protected him in his years alone. It was a token from his father and his longtime friend, hestia. It wasn’t just a necklace, it was his past. It was the past he was supposed to learn about now, though it wasn’t looking good. They’d probably leave this with Keith still not having the information he wanted, and he’d be back to how things always were: him speculating on who he was and using the necklace as the anchor to who he used to be, only he wouldn’t have the necklace if he gave it to lecto. He had to make this decision, one that would mean the difference between failure and success on his quest. 

Keith took a deep breath, dread running through his body. “Take it,” he said, feeling cold in the pit of his stomach. He held the glowing, warm pendant in his hand and removed the necklace, the chain combing through his hair as he brought it over his head. “If we don’t figure out how to get to prometheus, we’ll have no chance at killing him and the world will end. I won’t have that be on my hands just because i was selfish.”

“Are you sure about this, Keith?” Lance asked softly. 

Though still feeling a bit broken and numb, Keith responded, “I’m positive.” His fingers unclenched and the necklace poured into lectos hand, making Keith feel cold and lonesome the second it left his touch. 

Leco smiled cruelly, looking weirdly happy at the pendant in her hand. “As promised, here’s all the information you’ll need to find and get to prometheus.” She waved her hand and a gust of wind brought a piece of paper to the table, Lance taking a glance at it and putting it in his pocket. “I have what i need, i think it’s best i be off.”

“Wait,” Keith said, unable to help himself. “You promised me information on my passed, it was part of the deal.”

“You want information?” she said, leaning in and a snarl on her lips. “The gods screwed you over. There’s your information.” Before Keith could say anything, she continued on, “Sorry to screw you two over like this, but like i said, i have what i need, and Prometheus will help me get even more. You’re wrong, by the way,” she said, her voice becoming louder and filled with emotion. “He isn’t going to destroy the world. He’s starting a new golden age, and i’ll be a part of it.” Then, she snapped her fingers. The ground started to rumble, the hell hounds barked, and Lecto evaporated into the wind with a small wave to the boys, Keith’s necklace still in hand.

The hounds pounced on the boys, and they would’ve been dead if Lances gun hadn’t already been out. He gave two clean shots to the hounds, turning them to dust before they could do too much damage to the boys. Keith was still stunned from the events that had transpired so quickly, but Lance got him back to his senses by yelling, “Keith, c’mon, we have to get out of here!”

The ground was rumbling like an earthquake was coming, and Keith could feel the power. He knew that a whole army of underworld monsters were coming to kill them, ones that could be even worse than the demon he faced a day ago. He knew that any army he could raise from the ground wouldn’t be enough to counter the one that was on their way from prometheus, so he put all his energy into running. 

Going through the kitchen and out the back doors, they had run out of the restaurant to get to their car, only to see a crack open up and swallow all the cars in the parking lot. They really weren’t having good luck with cars on this quest. They were running down the long road they came from with no place in mind, just trying to get away from the army coming their way.

He had to help Lance a bit, since his ankle was still hurting, more so now that the ambrosia was wearing off. Every step he took came with a noticeable wince and he couldn’t keep up with Keith, who was now putting his arm around his shoulder to help him. 

Out of all the times on this quest, Keith had never felt so hopeless. They were running from an army that could travel simply by popping up from the ground, and both boys knew that if that army did catch up to them, they’d be dead in seconds. They were traveling slowly, Lance trying his best to power through the pain and Keith trying to push him along as best he could. 

Keith’s necklace was gone, and again he had no information on his past. Keith was almost sure they would be dead in seconds, and he couldn’t bear the fact that not only would they fail their quest, damning the whole world, but he’d also die knowing nothing about who his parents were. 

“Take this and leave me behind!” Lance yelled over the rumbling, shoving the paper lecto had given them at Keith. 

“I’m not leaving you! We’re a team!” Keith yelled back. “I already lost my necklace, i won’t lose you too.”

Lance gave him a weird, almost sad look. Keith glanced behind them and saw that the crack in the ground from the parking lot had followed them, and his stomach dropped. The army was here.

Facing forward, Keith squinted at the road. There was a van driving their way, going fast and driving recklessly. Keith had no idea why any mortal would be out and driving during an earthquake like this and he thought he might’ve been imagining it, but Lance was looking just as confused as him. 

Keith thought the van was going to run them over, but it skidded to a stop right in front of them. The door opened, and Keith could’ve passed out right there. A metal arm was extended out towards them, that arm connected to a man looking at them frantically with a patch of white hair hanging in his face. Lance looked surprised to see the man there, though keith didn’t know why.

“Quick, get in!” The man said. 

In the van was the only thing about his past he smiled about, it was the only person besides Lance he considered a friend, it was one of the only people in seven years that made him forget about his father's advice to ‘not trust anyone.’

Every nerve in Keith’s body felt numb and he forgot about the deadly army just behind them. He wasn’t aware of Lance shouting at him to get in the van, instead he just stood there, paralyzed from shock.

A short word left his mouth, though he didn’t even hear himself say it. 

“...Shiro?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, what an eventful chapter; Hopefully i didn't insult any furries here. 
> 
> Comments are what keep me writing so please please please show me some love down bellow!! Kudos are greatly appreciated as well and i still have a lot to offer so subscribe and bookmark to keep up with the story! 
> 
> Also, Keith and Lance's fears are... very similar. That's on purpose and is not just a coincidence, keep reading to find out why ;) Can't wait for you guys to meet my shiro next chapter, his character is so cool. I know the chapter left off on a weird note with lecto disappearing, but everything will be explained in time.
> 
> thanks for the read! see you in two weeks!


	5. Oh Gods, They're in Deeper Than They Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Keith and Lance share a talk with their mutual friend, Shiro, after he saves them from an army of Underworldly monsters. 
> 
> The two of them go on errand runs to make their final preparations before they face Prometheus. During these tasks, the boys fight with each other as well as monsters. They both come to the same conclusion, though: They're in deeper than they thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mila uploading a week late? It's more likely than you think.
> 
> sorry again, i'm in a lot of Honors and AP classes and i totally overstocked on clubs and such, so i've been super busy. This chapter is a bit longer than usual, as well, since a lot happened in it and there was a specific place i wanted the chapter to end at. 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is one of my favs, so sit back and enjoy!

\---Keith’s P.O.V: 

“Shiro, what are you doing here!?” Lance yelled as they drove, the earth still shaking and the giant crack in the ground chasing them at an increasingly fast rate. 

“How do you know Shiro?” Keith asked, still overwhelmed by shock. He wasn’t even sure he was seeing correctly. 

“How do YOU know Shiro?” Lance called back.

“I’ll explain later,” his scarred friend told them both. “How’s it looking Coran?” 

“Well, we’re trying to drive away from an army of underworld creatures in only a heavy van, so… not good,” The redhead at the wheel said in an accent similar to Alluras.

Why is shiro here? How did he find them? How could he want to save Keith after he had left him so easily? How did he know about the underworld and the monsters in it? These were just some of the questions running around in his head. He probably would have stayed sitting, wondering and asking himself questions forever if Lance hadn’t snapped him out of it. 

“Hey, buddy!” He said, grabbing Keith and shaking him violently. “I don’t know what’s going on but you need to get it together, or else we’re totally gonna die. Try and close that crack in the ground!”

Not even waiting to see Keith’s response, Lance opened the back door of the van and took his gun out of it’s holster. Though they weren't totally to the surface yet, the tops of the creatures could be seen peaking out of the long crack following them down the road. Even in a moving van, Lance managed to shoot the monsters with almost perfect accuracy. He hit many of them, but compared to the hundreds that could be waiting to get them, it wasn’t doing too much to help. 

“Keith!” Lance called again. 

“Uh, yeah, okay,” He responded, the seriousness and authority in his friend's voice pulling him to reality. 

Keith closed his eyes and connected with the ground. He felt the earth under the tires of the van and he felt the crack that was only a few feet away from them now. He embraced his emotions and used them to push him forward. He used the confusion he was feeling, he used the guilt he felt at seeing his old friend, he used the admiration he held for his new friend. With these two connections together, he envisioned the crack in the ground closing up, as if it was sewn shut. 

He felt resistance, like some force was trying to cut the stitches, but he pressed on. He felt his face sweat and his head fill with dizziness, but it didn’t stop him. He deepened the connection. He remembered how the grass and the ground fell under him while sitting by the lake at Camp Half Blood. He imagined he was there, his hands on the earth and feeling every bump in it. While he imagined that, he remembered specific memories that connected him to the emotions pushing him on. He remembered how paralyzed he was when the van opened and he saw the memorable face of his old friend. He remembered the times that old friend bandaged up the wounds Keith got without even asking for an explanation. He remembered how it felt when Lance called him his friend. He remembered Lance’s lips upon his own…

Like a switch was flicked, the crack in the ground was closed. The earth stopped shaking, that resistance to Keiths power the monsters were forcing stopped abruptly. The van they were in drove straight and smoothly now. 

Keith turned to see Lance looking at him proudly, his gun back in his holster and the door to the van shut. Now, Shiro was the one with the look of utter confusion and shock on his face. With a jolt Keith remembered that he wasn’t around for the whole Hades-claiming situation. Also he was a mortal and didn’t even know gods were a thing. Oops. 

He didn’t have much time to explain things before the tiredness caught up with him. He was lightheaded, sweat still littered his face, he felt a cold feeling in his chest. Keith hadn’t realized how much power he actually had used then and there. Hell, he had to shove an army of hundreds of powerful demons back to the underworld; that might tire him out a bit. 

“You alright?” Lance asked, putting a hand on Keith’s shoulder to stop him from swaying where he sat. 

“Yeah, i’m good,” he slurred. “Just need a little nap…” And with that, Keith fell forward onto Lance’s chest and blacked out. 

Keith dreamt of only one thing: a fire. He was in room with black walls, no doors or lights, and no one around. At the center of the room was a fire, logs piled on top of each other and ash sprinkling the ground around it. Every few seconds, the already weak fire would flicker, leaving nothing but glowing coals, but the fire would return soon after. 

Keith couldn’t help but think of the fire as delicate. If a small wind came by, there was no doubt the flame would be extinguished. If the already burnt and used looking wood would run out, the warmth would cease and the fire would be gone. The state of it made Keith uneasy, like if he looked at the ominus fire for long enough it would go out right in front of him. 

Something about the warmth of the flame drew Keith in closer. It felt like a mother's touch, like a home cooked meal, like a laugh. It was so much more than just a physical feeling. Keith advanced it, looking deep into the flame. Upon doing so, he saw images. It was like a television with bad signal: it was hard to make out the choppy images. Even in this state, Keith deciphered what they showed. One was a necklace, Keith’s necklace, which he didn’t have on him anymore. Another image was him and shiro, eating poorly cooked pasta at their kitchen table late at night, talking about their days. The last one was of Lance. It wasn’t of a specific memory, just of his smile and laugh. The image showed him throwing his head back and laughing full bodilly, and though there was no sound to these weird images, it was almost like Keith could hear it. 

Suddenly and Unwillingly, Keith left this dream. He found himself laying on a blow up mattress on the floor, two blankets on him. He was still in the same shirt and jeans but he was weirdly wearing Lance’s speeder jacket (“You were shivering a lot so i put my jacket on you,” Lance would later explain. “Yours was all gross and blood stained”).

He was in a fairly large room that could double as a living room and dining room, though there was barely any furniture in it. There were a few deflated blow up mattresses next to the one Keith was on, which was pressed up against the left side of the large room, and a small table was across from him next to a door that probably led to the kitchen. There were a few chairs at the table. 

In one of those chairs, the closest one to Keith but turned around so it was facing him, was Lance in a new shirt and pair of black jeans, sipping coffee from a mug. “How was your rest, sleeping beauty?” he asked. 

Keith sat up, and in doing so he found that his entire body ached. He felt drowsy and like his body was lagging, his brain taking a few extra seconds to process its’ commands. It reminded him of how he felt after the battle at Camp Half Blood, and that was after sleeping for two days. “How long have i been sleeping?” Keith asked, fearing he had slept through the rest of their quest. 

“A few hours,” Lance replied, to Keith’s relief. “We’ve been basically force feeding you ambrosia, a lot more than you should’ve eaten, honestly.”

Keith’s heart dropped as he remembered his dream. “We need to get moving.”

“Why the rush?”

“I had a dream,” Keith said. He explained it quickly, leaving out the vision of Lance he had seen in the fire. “I think hestia is trying to tell me something. I think we have less time than we thought.” His voice was urgent and panicked. They couldn’t afford to lose any time, and if the paper lecto gave them had the correct instructions on it, they had everything they needed to finish their quest. “C’mon, we need to go.”

“You’re leaving?” a familiar voice said. Shiro entered the room before Keith could stand up, two plates of food in his hands and a concerned look on his face. Keith felt a jolt go through his body at the site of his old friend, someone Keith cherished deeply but was almost positive hated him after all he did. “At least stay for another hour or two; you’re not fit to be out and about right now.”

“I, uh…” Keith stuttered. He thought of the dream he had, and how urgent this world saving, time sensitive quest was. Then he looked at the kind but slightly sad face of his old friend. “...Okay. but no longer than two hours.”

Shiro smiled and gave the two plates to Lance and Keith. He sat in a chair next to Lance’s, his peculiar metal arm resting on his leg. The yellow lighting of the room made the long scar across his nose stand out, a scar Keith never learned the origin of. 

“What’s going on?” Keith asked finally, so many questions in his tired, frustrated mind. “How do you know Lance? And-and how do you know about the underworld and the army that was coming to kill us? You’re mortal, right?”

“No, i’m not,” Shiro said patiently. 

“What?”

“I’m a second generation demigod. My mom was a daughter of hermes.”

“But-but,” Keith stuttered, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. “I lived with you for like three months. How did i not know this? And why aren’t you at camp? Why didn’t you tell me about camp? What is going on?”

“Once demigods get older and out of their teen years they don’t attract as many monsters,” shiro explained slowly, Lance looking bored, as if he’s heard this many times before. “I lived at camp for a few years when i was younger, but i don’t need to anymore. I visit sometimes, and that’s how i know Lance. Now, i run a sort of support network for demigod kids, setting up safe houses like this one and trying to find runaways, bringing them to camp.”

“How did i not figure out you were a demigod?” Keith said, slightly angry at himself. 

“Did you ever wonder how i got these?” Shiro said with a good natured scoff, pointing to his scar and then to his metal arm.

“I-i don’t know,” Keith said, overwhelmed.

“I actually didn’t know you were a demigod until like… a day ago,” Shiro said with a laugh. “A few months ago, i went to new jersey because there was word of a strong demigod over there, but i’m no satyr and i didn’t find anyone, except you. It turns out you actually were that demigod, but I thought you were just some runaway mortal kid.”

“Why’d you think i always came home all beat up?” Keith asked, making fun of the similar question shiro had just asked him.

“I just assumed you got in a lot of fights with people. You kinda have a temper.”

“If you thought i was a mortal, then why did you take me in?” 

Shiro looked at him like it was a stupid question. “Because you needed help. Demigod or not, it was obvious you didn’t have much and i wanted to help you, and in doing so i made a good friend.” He looked at Keith fondly, though Keith didn’t understand why. How in the world was he a ‘good friend’? He had been nothing but awful to shiro.

“Just to make sure i’m following…” Keith said, holding his head in his hands. “You’re a demigod-”

“Second generation demigod,” shiro corrected. 

“And you live in the mortal world and set up safe houses and stuff, and you know Lance because you’ve been to camp before, and you only learned i was a demigod recently?” 

“Mhm,” shiro said. “And a child of Hades, that was a pretty big shock to me back in the van.”

“Think about how i felt when i found out,” Keith said bitterly.

“How did you know where to find us?” Lance asked, speaking up. 

“I iris messaged Chiron a day ago and he filled me in,” shiro started to explain. “A few demigods in the area started to feel some power build up. They aren’t children of the underworld, but they still could sense that big army of monsters start to assemble, apparently waiting for you guys. That’s when i talked to Chiron. He told me you two were on a big quest, and that’s when i learned you were a demigod. You can imagine my surprise,” Shiro said with a nervous laugh. “For weeks i wondered where you went, just to find out you were at Camp Half Blood. What a coincidence.” 

The guilt Keith had been feeling since the second he left shiro was thriving more than it ever has, now unable to ignore the choice he made and the hurt he caused for shiro. 

“Chiron told us the route you were taking to get to florida,” Shiro continued, “and we knew it was a long shot but Coran and I drove out to try and find you, assuming that power demigods were feeling was somehow connected to you guys. And here we are now.” 

“Thanks a billion, shiro,” Lance said, his mouth full of the microwaved chicken Shiro had handed the two of them. Keith’s plate was untouched on the floor next to him. “If you two hadn’t gone after us we’d be dead.”

“It’s no problem. Nice work with that gun, by the way,” Shiro said. “You too, Keith, with the underworld powers. We wouldn’t have gotten away if you guys hadn’t taken action. And you two seemed to work pretty well together,” shiro said, looking at Lance with a knowing expression on his face. Shiro turned to keith. “What’s wrong?” he asked him, noticing his sunken face he had been trying to hide.

“Oh… nothing,” Keith said unconvincingly.

“Lance, can you give Keith and i a second?” shiro asked, his eyes not leaving Keith and his eyebrows furrowed in concern. 

“... yeah, sure,” Lance said, taking his plate of food with him and entering the kitchen.

“Okay, what’s up?” Shiro said knowingly, his arms folded. 

“I told you it’s noth-” Keith said, cutting himself off. Why should he lie? What’s the point in it? He sighed, his eyes shut tight. “It’s just… i don’t get why you helped me.”

“Why wouldn’t i?”

“Because i was horrible to you!” Keith exclaimed. “You gave me friendship and a place to stay, you dealt with my trust issues and anger and secrets for months, and i gave you nothing in return, and then i- i just- i fucking left you!”

“Keith, i-”

“I didn’t even tell you i was leaving!” Keith cut him off, not being able to stop. All this guilt and emotion had been clawing at Keith the second he left shiro, and now it was getting out. “I didn’t give you a note, i didn’t say a word to you, i just left in the middle of the night after you spent so much time on me, being friendly even though i was a total ass!” his voice was filled with emotion, and Keith was scared he was going to start crying. He put his hand to his chest to nervously play with the glowing pendant only to be reminded it wasn’t there anymore. Instead, he played with the collar of Lances jacket. It smelled like him. 

Shiro looked at Keith with a sad expression on his face, his hands together and resting on his knees, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. “I knew what i was doing when i took you in, Keith,” he said in a slow and soothing tone. “I knew you’d been through a lot, and i knew you were angry. I didn’t blame you for being withholding, and i didn't care that you were secretive. What i wanted to give you was a safe place. I wanted you to think that you had a home to go back to, and a person to come back to. I think i gave you that, and that’s all i care about.”

“But that’s not fair,” Keith said. His chest ached but it had nothing to do with his hurt post-battle state. “A friendship should go two ways. I should’ve been nicer, and I- i just don’t understand why you don’t hate me.” His voice had gone from a yell to a mere whisper. There was a lump in his throat. 

Shiro just looked at him with a small smile on his face. “What?” Keith asked. 

“Sorry, it’s just… you’ve changed a lot.” 

“What do you mean?”

“When you lived with me, you never would call me your friend. I knew you cared about me, but i also knew you’d never say it out loud. I don’t think you knew how much you were pushing me away back then, but now you understand. You seem… more conscious of what you’re doing.”

“So?”

“So, that’s just it. When you lived with me, you weren’t fit for a friendship. You didn’t know how to go about it, and you didn’t understand that mutual support you understand now, so i was happy to take up a role as big brother. I was fine with that support being one way because i knew that once you got more comfortable with actually having a friendship with someone, you would give me that friendship back. And i was right.”

“How were you right?” Keith asked, his head filled with so many emotions. “I never came back. You’re still the one saving my ass, so how am i giving you friendship?”

“Did you ever feel guilty about leaving?”

“Of course i did.”

“Did you ever think about coming back?”

“Only like, every day.”

“Then i was right. The old Keith would have left with no remorse, like he always did to new people. But you’ve changed, and i was only a small push towards that change. You’re different, and i know that you can give me that friendship now.”

“I don’t know what to say…” Keith said honestly, kind of understanding what shiro was saying but still feeling guilty. 

“Let me show you what i mean. What is Lance to you?”

“He’s my friend, i guess.”

“You guess or you know?”

“... I know,” Keith said, thinking back to when Lance said he cared about Keith. He thought of when he casually called Lance his friend on the bus. He thought of the two of them sharing secrets, ones they hadn’t told anyone else about. 

“Would you put yourself at risk to help him in a battle?”

“Yeah.”

“Would you try and cheer him up if he was upset?”

“Yeah.”

“There you go,” Shiro said with a small smile. “You’re giving him that mutual support i’m talking about. You wouldn’t have done any of that stuff with anyone a few months ago. You’ve really changed.” 

“I guess…” Keith said, thinking about it. It had only been a month since he left shiro, but it felt like so much longer. And maybe during that time, especially after going on this quest with Lance, Keith had slowly started to open up. Maybe he was getting over the fear he’d become so aware of during the quest. “I don’t know. I still feel like i wronged you, like you deserve better than a friendship with me.”

“How about this,” Shiro said, “After your quest, which you’ll do great on, we can reconnect. I don’t know what you’re planning to do after all this, but you can stay with me again, if you want. Or i can visit you at camp half blood. You’ll see the great friend you’ve become.”

“I’d like that,” Keith said with a small sigh, being happy to have something to look forward to after all of this. The two stood up from where they sat and hugged, something Keith had been deprived of for a long time. 

The two of them entered the kitchen to see Lance looking bored as Coran recounted old demigod stories that sounded a bit made up.

“And this one time i fought a harpy that had two heads! Isn’t that a sight?”

“Oh… yeah… that’s great,” Lance said in a monotone voice. He sighed in relief when the two of them entered the kitchen. His eyes landed on Keith. “Everything alright?” he asked him in a shushed tone. 

Keith smiled at his friend. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

\---Lance’s P.O.V: 

Well, the mission with lecto had been interesting. Lance was still bitter at her betrayal and couldn’t get her words out of his head. She had told the two boys that Prometheus was going to start a “new golden age,” which was worrying. Lance hoped that whatever she was talking about was made up, maybe told to her by Prometheus, who was just lying to get her on his side. 

They had everything they needed to finish their quest, provided the information lecto gave them was true. Lance doubted it, but they really had no other option than to just hope it would work. It was scary how close this quest was coming to it’s end. Both dread and excitement filled Lance when he thought of that, thinking about how far they’ve come but dreading the deadly fight with a titan that was inevitable.

When Keith had been sleeping, Lance had talked a bit with Shiro about the quest and Keith. Keith had mentioned that he stayed with a friend for a few months before hestia showed up, but he never would’ve guessed that friend to be Shiro. Small world. Lance had always admired Shiro, and he was always a bit jealous of him. He could come and go to camp whenever he wanted, not too worried about the monsters on the outside world. That was the dream.

“How’s Keith been?” Shiro had asked Lance. “Hotheaded as usual?”

“When is he not?” Lance said with a snort. “But… he’s actually not an awful guy as i thought when we first met. Don’t tell him i said that.”

“He’s definitely… complicated. But i think you’re good for him.”

“Me? How am i good for him?”

“He needs a good friend, especially one that keeps pushing him to share and open up.”

“But how is that me? If i’m being honest i think i’m the one that’s been pushing him away,” Lance said with a sigh, thinking of the conversation he had with Aphrodite. He was frustrated. She had told him to open up and let Keith in, but Lance didn’t know if he was doing that or not. He shared about why he hated his mother, and he might have accidentally let slip that he considers him a friend and cares about him, but he still felt a resistance there. It was like a force was pushing Lance away, blocking him from totally and utterly being open to Keith. Maybe that force was Lance himself, and maybe it was because of what both allura and Aphrodite had said. Maybe he didn’t want to face his feelings. 

“I think you guys are closer than you think,” Shiro said. He was standing against the counters in the kitchen, his hands folded against his chest but not in a standoffish way. Shiro had this way of always knowing if things are wrong. If you’re sad he’ll be over to you immediately with some helpful advice. He can see through walls people build up and try to take them down. He’s such a good friend it’s almost scary.

“I mean, we’re friends, but not much more than that. How are we closer?”

“Keith has always been a lone wolf. Getting along with someone and talking with them about his life is something basically unheard of to him, but he does that with you, apparently.”

“I wouldn’t say we get along,” Lance said with a small scoff. 

“If all the stories about your quest you just told me about are true, then i beg to differ. Maybe you’re just thinking about your old rivalry. Maybe you’re pushing yourself away and don’t want to think about the fact that you two have moved away from said rivalry.”

“Why would i do that?” Lance said with a nervous laugh.

“You tell me,” Shiro said with a raised eyebrow.

Lance groaned, knowing that shiro was right and hating what made him right. Allura’s and Aphrodite’s words were becoming harder to ignore. “You’re so annoying.”

“Why is that?” Shiro said with a laugh. 

“Because you’re always right. You sure your mom’s a daughter of Hermes and not Athena?”

“Pretty sure,” Shiro said. 

“Well, i’m gonna try and ignore everything you just said and shove some more ambrosia in Keith’s mouth.”

“Have fun.”

And that lead to where they were now, Shiro and Keith just finishing their talk, which Lance had been tempted to eavesdrop on but decided against it, and Keith was up and walking. 

“Since your packs were lost when the parking lot collapsed, Coran and I put these together for you,” Shiro said, thrusting two bags at the boys, each one filled with simple clothes, medical supplies and tupperware filled with pasta. “We can’t get you a car, though. I’d say your best bet is to ride the bus for a few hours and use charmspeak to get a car later on.”

“Sounds good,” Lance said. “Thanks again for both of your help.” After words of thanks and many hugs and handshakes were exchanged, Keith and Lance were on the road again, their time running out and new information needing discussion. 

“What did lecto mean when she told us Prometheus is starting a new golden age?” Keith asked, voicing the concern Lance had had for the hours after she screwed them over. 

“Chiron said that he’s smart and not as hot headed as the other titans, so maybe he just said that in an effort to make more people join his side?” Lance proposed. They were sitting on a bus again, next to each other at the very back, an emergency exit next to them. “I mean, some monsters must have some common sense and think ‘oh, it might not be in our best interest if the world falls and we cease to exist.’” 

“But what if he wasn’t lying? What if he has bigger plans than we know?” Keith asked. 

“There isn’t much we can do to figure it out. I think we should just follow the instructions Lecto gave us, confront Prometheus like we planned, and be ready for anything.” 

Keith sighed, looking distressed at this new uncertainty in their quest, which Lance could relate to. “I guess you’re right.”

“When am i not?” Keith glared at him knowingly, as if tallying up every bad judgment Lance has ever made. “Don’t answer that.”

“Do you really think the instructions are right?” Keith asked. “”I mean, she did betray and try to kill us two seconds after handing it over.” 

“I don’t know,” Lance sighed honestly. “We did make a really clear deal with her to get it, and maybe she honored that? Or maybe she thought ‘well they’ll be dead in a few minutes, i’ll just give them the real one.’” 

“We can hope so,” Keith said, again going to touch the glowing pendant but being reminded it wasn’t there. “What does the paper say?”

Lance brought out the piece of notebook paper from his pocket and unfolded it. “I looked over it while you were asleep. It doesn’t seem too bad. We need to collect three items to make into a position, then we drink it before entering some cave thing near the beach.”

“How do we know she’s not just tricking us into drinking poison?”

“We don’t.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Mhm. Anyway, the first ingredient is nearby, only a twenty minute bus ride, so we can just chill here,” Lance explained. 

The two sat in silence for a minute or two, staring blankly in front of them and letting the bumpy bus knock them around. Suddenly, as if he didn’t actually mean to say anything, Keith said, “back when we were running away from the army, before shiro picked us up… you told me to leave you there.”

“Yeah,” Lance said blankly, moving his ankle slightly and experiencing a small wave of pain. 

“Why are you so stupid?” Keith said with a scoff that sounded almost bitter.

“Whatya mean?”

“You know damn well i wouldn’t just leave you there to die, and the fact that you even said that is just- it’s so- stupid!” Keith said, unable to find the right word. “We’re a team, right? I mean, you said it yourself, so don’t think for even a second i’d leave you behind just for this stupid quest to succeed.”

Lance was at a loss of words, so many thoughts swarming his head. Instead of just trying to say something funny or steer the conversation away from the topic like he’d usually do, Lance found himself asking “but… Why?” 

“You’re so thick,” Keith said with a small shake to his head. “We’ve been through a lot on this quest and you’ve saved me more times than i can count now. I don’t care if this quest is a success if you die, because then what’s the point? Did It ever occur to you that-that maybe i care about you too?!” His voice sounded strained, like he had to force every single syllable to come out of his mouth. 

Lance didn’t know what to think. Keith sounded angry, but Lance didn’t know what of. From what shiro said, Keith’s been alone most of his life, and maybe he was just getting mad at the thought of losing one of the only friends he has. But that thought was absurd to Lance. They were just casual friends, right? They bicker, they fight, Lance can’t stand the guy sometimes. 

But Lance thought back to something. He remembered when he found out Keith had been hiding that bad cut on his side. Lance had gotten angry in the same exact fashion as Keith was now, angrily bandaging him up and accidentally letting it slip that he cared about Keith. After, he thought about the idea of Keith dying, and it felt like an incomprehensible idea, like the idea of a world without Keith couldn’t even be a possibility. 

“I’m sorry,” Lance muttered out, making Keith turn to look at him, the anger in his face falling to something Lance couldn’t quite put his finger on. 

“Uh, it’s okay,” Keith said. 

“And… i’m sorry for how it went with Lecto,” Lance said, finding the absence of a glowing pendant upon the boy's chest unusual. 

“It’s fine,” Keith said after a few seconds of staring at nothing, though he looked kind of pained as he said it. “My past has been a mystery for years, and i guess it’ll just continue to be one.”

“Are you gonna keep looking when this quest is done?”

“I have… no idea,” Keith said with a raised eyebrow, as if this was a new thought. “Considering we succeed on this quest and live, i don’t know what i’ll do, and for once in my life that’s because i have too many options. I can go live with Shiro, i can go back to camp, or i can go off on my own.”

Lance nodded. Just like the thought of Keith dying, the idea of Keith not going back to camp, or just disappearing again like he and Lance had never met, felt so wrong, like a small voice was whispering “don’t let him go” inside Lance's head. 

“What do you think i should do?” Keith asked, turning to Lance with a surprisingly vulnerable look on his face. 

‘Don’t let him go, don’t let him go, don’t let him go,’ that voice repeated, getting louder and more obnoxious. There was something about Keith, something that Lance couldn’t figure out but couldn’t keep ignoring. He was so different. Sure, you could call him just a typical loner with a sad backstory, but Lance knew there was something else, something he saw in his eyes when he laughed or when they talked about personal stuff. It was something he didn’t notice the first few days he knew him but grew more noticeable over the quest’s course. If Keith left after this whole thing ended, which was only a few days away, Lance would feel incomplete. He’d feel like that something would remain a mystery, but he didn’t want it to be that way. He wanted to see more of that something. ‘Don’t let him go, don’t let him go, don’t let him go!’

“I don’t care, man,” Lance said. “Do what you want.” 

“Oh,” Keith said, an emotion to his voice that was as much as a mystery as that something in his eyes. 

Cue the war in Lance's mind. ‘What the hell, man? Of course you care!’ ‘No i don’t, why would i?’ ‘You know why.’ ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ ‘Bullshit. Tell him to stay at camp.’ ‘Well, it’s not really my decision to make.’

“Do you, uh, want your jacket back?” Keith asked after a few minutes of silence, holding the collar of the speeder jacket. “Shiro washed mine; it’s in my bag.”

“Sure,” Lance said simply, though there was something about seeing Keith in his jacket that made him… happy? Was that even the emotion? Gah, Lance had no idea what he was feeling these days. 

Keith shouldered the black leather off and gave it to Lance, then he reached into the new backpack and pulled out his. They both put on the coats and sat in silence, Keith eating a square of ambrosia and Lance tapping his leg to the tune of the old Bowie song playing on the bus speakers. 

“This is our stop,” Lance said, standing up and making his way to the front, Keith behind him.

“What are we doing at ‘Heritage Point Regional Park’?” Keith asked, reading a sign as they walked past trees and other greenery. 

“This is where the first ingredient is,” Lance explained. “There’s some tree here called a ‘folium pace’ and we need three leaves from it.”

“How are we supposed to find it? There are kinda a lot of trees here,” Keith said. The two boys stood under a metal pavilion, shading lots of wooden benches. There was a closed snackbar to the left, a baseball diamond down a hill and grass surrounding it all. Trees were planted all around as well as a thick forest separating the park from a busy road. 

“It says here to ‘look out for the birds of ‘fýlaxi’,” Lance said, holding the paper close to his face. “That means ‘safekeeping’. So we just… look for some birds protecting a tree? Sounds simple enough.”

“If anything, this quest has taught me to never say ‘sounds simple enough,’ or ‘that’s easy.,” Keith said, walking ahead of the other boy. Lance noted the way the damp, humid but cold air made Keith’s mullet curl up a bit. It was… cute.

“That’s, uh,” Lance stuttered, distracting himself by admiring the site of Keith in the afternoon fog, “A good… thing to be taught?”

Keith ignored him and kept walking, looking at trees with squinted eyebrows as he went by them. “There’s a bird in that one, you think that’s it?”

“Nope,” Lance said after he and the bird shared a look.

“And how would you know?”

“I just… do,” Lance said, sweating a bit. 

They continued walking, checking out trees and trying to act normal whenever someone walked past. It was about three pm on a work day, so there weren’t many people out and about, anyway. 

“Ow!” Keith called thirty minutes into their search, holding his head in pain. 

“What?” asked Lance, walking over to the boy. After a few hours of rest and more godly food, Lance could probably run on his ankle, but the half an hour of just walking around resulted in small jolts of pain with each step. Lance blamed the furries. 

Lance watched as he reached down and picked up a small, round object. It was silver and it looked heavy, and from the both annoyed and confused way Keith was looking at it, Lance guessed it hit him on the head. “The hell is this thing?” 

Lance looked up at the sky, as did Keith, but there was nothing there except for a grey bird flying by. It looked common enough, and the only tree near by was a normal looking oak, so it must not be what they’re looking f- CLONK.

“Son of a bitch!” Lance called out, a ball identical to the one Keith was holding hitting him hard in the chest, causing more pain than you’d expect from such a tiny item. He looked up, and there was another grey bird. 

“Those must be the birds.”

“Yeah thanks, i figured that much out for myse-”

“So those must be the leaves, c’mon,” Keith said, ignoring Lance and walking over to the tree.

“Maybe we should be more cautious and actually have a plan. We don’t know how many of those birds the- aaaaand he’s already ripping off a leaf. Fantastic. Great teamwork,” Lance spoke to himself as he watched the black haired boy snag a leaf off a branch of the tree, making it shake with resistance.

“There, easy as that,” Keith said. 

It was NOT as easy as that, they’d both learn. Suddenly, materializing out of thin air, hordes of birds appeared, squawking angrily and circling the tree in front of them. They were small and looked like common birds, but Lance guessed that there was more to them that met the eye. 

“Weren’t you the one who told me never to say ‘easy as that’?” Lance yelled over the noise.

Keith took his knife out of it’s holster and activated the dark, stygian iron sword while Lance took out his own, his gun held in his other hand. “Should we start killing now?” Keith yelled.

As if on cue, the birds broke their ring position and formed lines in the air. Lance watched as they extended their wings to show strange, cannon looking things under them, like a gun mounted on a plane. Rapidly, those silver orbs both boys had been hit with earlier started to shoot out of them, hitting the boys painfully at every angle. 

“I think we- ow- should start killing!” Lance said desperately, getting hit mid sentence. He watched Keith spring forward, making wide arches in the air with his two blades as he tried to hit the birds. They were flying slightly out of reach, though, and his blades only made contact with a few, leaving dozens of them still in the air and firing at the two boys. Lance took out his gun, shooting rapidly at the lines of birds. Luckily for him, they were barely moving in the air and made easy targets, but with those orbs hitting him every second he wasn’t shooting as accurately as he’d’ve liked. 

“Give me your sword!” Keith called, putting away his knife. Lance tossed over the bronze weapon, Keith catching it by it’s grip. He ran at the nearby tree and swung himself up by a branch, then he proceeded to run and jump off that branch, twist in the air, and take out a whole line of birds thanks to the two long ranged weapons and the extra height he got off the tree. “Yeah!” he celebrated, though that excitement didn’t last long. 

The birds, no doubt sensing the decrease in their numbers, started flying in all directions. They broke their organized flanks and flew in circles around the boys, though not all went the same direction, causing chaos. Meanwhile, they still shot those silver orbs, only now they were hot, so they left a decent burn along with a nasty bruise. 

“This is just great!” Lance called, standing back to back with Keith, trying and failing to dodge the projectiles.

“We can’t hold out-ouch, much longer,” Keith responded. They were barely taking down any birds now due to the rapid rate at which they flew and the distracting orbs. 

Lance groaned. “Okay i’m gonna do so-ow, something but you can’t tell anyone about this!” 

“Okay, weirdo, just save us!”

Lance put his gun in his holster, put his fingers in his mouth, and gave a loud taxi call any new yorker would be proud of. The birds stopped where they were, looking at Lance with curiosity. “Hey, we’re only taking like two leaves, alright!?” 

“Squaaaaack,” one bird called, but that translated to “sorry, dude, no can do.”

“Do you want the world to end? Because that’s what’s gonna happen if you don’t let us take these!” Lance said back. 

“Are you fucking talking to these birds?” Keith asked, amusement hinted in his voice. 

“Yes, shut up,” Lance growled. 

“Why should we care?” One asked Lance. “We’re just birds!”

“If the world ends, that would include your tree. Without a land to live on, the tree would die, and there would be no more leaves to protect.”

“Well... when you put it like that, take as many as you want,” The bird said. 

“Oh. i thought that was gonna be much harder,” Lance said to himself, walking up to the tree and grabbing two more leaves, Keith already having one. “Thanks, guys.”

“No problem, dude.” The birds disappeared as quickly as they had shown up. 

“Mission accomplished,” Lance said, taking his sword out of Keith’s hand and putting it back in the holster slung over his back.

“You… can talk to birds,” Keith stated, a small smile upon his face. 

“I guess it’s an Aphrodite thing, her being the goddess of doves or whatever. A few other people in my cabin can do it and if you tell anyone i’ll go ask one of those birds to pelt you some more.”

Keith held up his hands defensively, his sword turned back into a bracelet. “My lips are sealed, bird brain.”

“I hate you so much,” Lance growled. The two of them of them walked back to the pavilion with the benches to heal up, but there wasn’t much they could do. The attack had left them with burns and bruises but no open cuts they could bandage, and with Keith’s recent underworld power usage and Lances ankle, the two of them had already eaten enough ambrosia.

“What’s the next item we need?” Keith asked. The two boys had shared a bag of chips and Keith was now putting the three tree leaves into the empty ziplock bag. 

Lance took out the now decently crinkled piece of paper from Lecto. “Wow, it’s actually really close by. We need to get five stones from a harpies nest in ‘Sprewell Bluff,’ a tourist attraction here in Georgia.”

“What kind of stones?” Keith asked, putting the bag of leaves safely in the breast pocket of his jacket. 

“Doesn’t say,” Lance replied, squinting at the writing. “We’ll see when we get there.”

“Can’t wait,” Keith sighed in a flat tone. 

The two walked out of the park and to the road, looking for a ride to their next battle. 

\---Allura’s P.O.V: 

With an exhausted sigh and sweat on her face, Allura clipped her enchanted whip to her belt, a few monsters crumbled to dust in front of her. 

“Are they all dead?” Pidge asked, a bit of dirt on her face and exhaustion that matched allura’s. 

“I think so, yes,” allura confirmed. 

“That was the biggest attack since the battle a few days ago,” hunk stated, joining the conversation. 

Over the past week, monsters had been steadily penetrating camp’s borders, no doubt due to the Hestia situation. The fire at the center of camp was barely visible now, only a few coals burning, and it was causing a ripple of fear through the place that had been a safe haven for so many years. 

Allura surveyed the camp's current condition. The infirmary had more campers than they could handle, and border patrol was spread all through the camp. With the little amount of campers they had, their defenses were pretty slim. It wasn’t looking good. 

“I think we should call Lance and Keith,” Allura proposed, wiping sweat off her brow. “They need to know how things are looking over here.” Pidge and Hunk agreed with her, though Allura could tell they were more excited than they let on to see their friend, hopefully alive. 

After finding some drachmas and convincing a giggly water nymph to make mist for them, they were ready. Pidge threw in the greek money and said the chant. All three watched as an image blurrily and slowly appeared in the rainbow. It steadied and showed both boys, oblivious to their audience. Ther had a few cuts decorating their faces along with some slashes in their shirts. They took turns disinfecting and applying band aids to the cut, along with lots of bickering (“that hurts.” “i don’t care, be still.”). It looked like they were on a bench outside a rest stop.

“Hey, guys!” Pidge called to them. 

“What the-!” Keith exclaimed, so surprised he nearly fell off the bench he was sat at. 

“What’s up?!” Lance said, clearly happy to see his friends. “What’re you guys doing?”

“I’m more interested in what you two have been doing. Looks like you’re having a good time,” Pidge said, gesturing to the cuts.

Lance groaned. “Next time you try to convince a harpy to give you some stones, wear armor.”

“Will do.”

“Why’d you call?” Keith asked. In the moment Lance had abandoned the cut he was bandaging, leaving a bandaid half stuck to Keith’s face. 

“Oh, all business, huh? Can’t we just call to check in on our friends who’re on a big world saving quest?” Pidge inquired. 

“Considering our lives are a horrible mess and we’re on a super dangerous quest right now, there has to be some kind of bad news,” Lance said, an eyebrow raised. “And how do you know the quest is ‘world saving’? Didn’t chiron not want you campers to know that?”

“You know how camp works. If Chiron tells one person, he might as well tell them all.”

“True that.”

“Anyways,” Allura said, steering the conversation back to the reason they called. “Camp has been getting attacked more frequently,” she explained, the expression of Lance turning more serious. “The monsters are coming more frequently and in bigger packs. I don’t think we can hold out much longer, but more importantly… i think you two have less time than we originally thought.”

“We’ve been thinking that, too.” Keith said. “I had a dream.”

“Okay, Martin Luther King, care to elaborate?” Pidge said. Hunk elbowed her with an expression that said don’t-be-rude.

Lance talked for Keith, explaining how he saw a fire in a room, that fire flickering rapidly between life and death. 

“That doesn’t seem like much,” Hunk said. 

“Yeah, but demigod dreams always have some sort of meaning behind them,” Lance said. “Plus what you guys just told us, i think you’re right, but there isn’t much we can do about it than hurry to florida.” Hunk, Pidge and Allura shook their heads in agreement and understanding. “Oh, we should probably warn you,” Lance said. “Prometheus has been employing more monsters than we thought, and we think he’s lying to them to get them on his side. He’s assembled a huge army of underworld”-cue the awkward glances at Keith, uneasiness with his parentage still flowing through camp- “monsters, probably using the the-end-of-the-world-means-more-death-which-is-good-for-you argument, while for more materialistic monsters like this one nymph we met, he’s telling them he’s gonna start a new golden age or something.”

“Thanks for yelling us,” Allura said. “We’ll watch out for bigger packs of monsters and we’ll keep you posted.”

After a few tense seconds of silence, Hunk spoke up. “So… how’s the quest been going? Anything eventful happen?”

“Well,” Lance said, “we fought a huge snake, Keith fought a demon, i met my mom, we killed some furries, i broke my ankle, and Shiro, who apparently has a backstory with Keith, saved us from an army of underworld monsters.” 

“You met your mom?” Allura asked.

“Keith knows Shiro?” Hunk inquired.

“You two killed furries?” Pidge said with a scratch to her head.

“We’ll explain when we get back. Well… If we get back,” Lance said with a casual tone, though Allura could see the discomfort in his face. 

“You better make it back,” Pidge said, “or else i’ll find one of Keith’s siblings, have them resurrect you guys from the dead, and then i’ll beat you up.” That had actually got a snicker like laugh out of Keith, who had been silent during most of the call. Though he was silent, Allura could see a change in him. 

He was silent, but not with such an analytical, sceptical look. Before, it seemed like Keith was always scoping people out, waiting for them to pounce, but now he seemed relaxed in the presence of the three. He seemed exceptionally comfortable in Lance's presence. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder when days earlier their relationship consisted of bickering and awkward glances at each other. 

Allura still thought of her and Lance’s prequest conversation. Maybe she shouldn’t of been so blunt about the topic of Lance’s crush, but it had to be said. It seemed to hit a nerve in Lance, and Allura was guessing it had more to do with than just a crush. She’s known him for years, but Lance still confused the hell out of Allura. 

Something that stuck out to her was that Lance had supposedly met his mother on a quest. He wouldn’t talk about it, even with allura, pidge, and hunks constant pecking, but it was evident that Lance had a complicated opinion of his mother. He seemed like a proud Aphrodite camper one second but the next he was looking down at his ground and making comments to himself about her that Allura couldn’t make out. After Lance stormed out on Allura, it became evident that love was a sensitive topic for him, add mother issues to that and there must’ve been a storm of emotion in Lance's head when he met the goddess of love, who’s also his mom. 

But why would Aphrodite show up? She’s a goddess, she probably has better things to be doing. The only thing Allura could think about was the crush Lance obviously had on Keith that he was in denial of. Rumor was that Aphrodite personally showed up to talk about Percy Jackson’s crush on his friend at the time, now girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, so why wouldn’t she do the same to Lance? And what if it had to do with the quest? Allura heard that the prophecy said something about how Lance and Keith meeting would be the most important thing to the quest, so maybe she was trying to snap the boy out of that denial he showed. 

Allura shook the thoughts out of her head, all the skepticism driving her crazy. “Well, you two probably have a lot of work to do so we better leave you be,” she said. 

“Don’t remind me,” Lance groaned. “Can i just procrastinate the end of this quest?”

“Afraid not,” Hunk said. “Then you’ll die.” 

“But i can probably get us special treatment in the underworld, so how bad could it be?” Keith joked to Lance.

Lance scoffed. “That sounds much better than fighting a huge titan. I’m just gonna go with that. If you guys need me i’ll be dead, chillin’ in the underworld with Keith. See ya!” 

“Send us a postcard from hell,” Pidge requested. 

The five of them exchanged goodbyes and ‘good luck on the quest’s and ‘for real please don’t die’s, and with that the mist stopped and the call was ended. 

“They seem to be getting along better,” Hunk stated as the trio walked back to the dining area.

\---Keith’s P.O.V:

So far, Keith was not having a fun time in Georgia. 

He and Lance had arrived at their destination. If you take away the harpy they would face later, it would be a perfect and beautiful place. There were trees spanning farther than Keith could see and newly blooming plants decorating the greenery. The two boys walked the banks of the rust colored, clear river that caught the afternoon light and reflected it against the gorgeous stones that lay at the bottom of the water. 

“If it weren’t so cold i would jump in this river so quick,” Lance sighed as they walked. There weren’t many people around for that very reason: the weather was becoming increasingly colder, unusually so as that reporter speculated on back at the dinner. It definitely had to do with hestia's fire, which was basically the warmth of the world, dwindling and cooling. The colder the air, the more Keith was reminded of their time span that was increasing in shortness. 

“I’m not a huge swimmer,” Keith commented. 

“That’s too bad,” Lance said, strutting ahead. “In the summer, the lake at camp is the best place to swim. The water is calm and a good temperature, sometimes you can get the water needs to do cool tricks, and you can go canoeing and stuff. Maybe i’ll force you to take a dip sometime… you know, if you go back to camp.” There was some emotion in Lance's face Keith couldn’t quite catch. 

At the mention of what was next for him after this quest, Keith’s heart fell. That was a subject he was trying particularly hard not to think about. He wouldn’t admit it outloud, and he was trying not to admit it to himself, either, but the indifferent, casual tone Lance had taken when asked what Keith should do caused a cold feeling in his chest. He didn’t know why, and he didn’t understand why he would even care what Lance thinks. Maybe there was an answer he had hoped Lance would give him.

“So we, uh, have to look for a harpie, right?” Keith asked, trying to distract himself away from his own thoughts. 

“Mhm,” Lance answered, kicking a rock. “And we have to get some stones from it or something. I really wish these directions weren’t so vague.”

After a bit more walking, the two came across the same welcome sign they had started their search at, large, black letters reading "The Walking Dead season 4 finale was filmed here!" ("I love that show," Lance had commented. "You remind me of Glenn. You kinda sound like him." “Who?”)

"we've looked everywhere," Lance groaned. "it's getting late and we need to get these stupid stones."

"Can't you just do whatever you did with those other birds and call to the harpy or something?"

"Harpies aren't necessarily birds." 

"then charmspeak her or something," Keith groaned, getting irritated.

"Oh, sure, let me just scream so loudly that i cover a bajillion acres of nature, all while keeping the charmspeak in my voice," Lance bickered back. "why don't you do something, earth boy?"

"If you couldn't work it out for yourself, nests are usually in trees. I'm not exactly a child of demeter."

Lance huffed out loudly, turning his back on Keith with his arms folded to his chest. what a drama queen, just like his mom. Surprisingly, quicker than Keith would've guessed, he came to his senses. He turned around and took a deep breath, letting his arms fall to his chest. "Maybe we can work together," He said.

"How?"

"I don't know, but the prophecy said we'd have to work together, so why not now? Is there anyway you can broadcast my voice through the ground?"

"I haven't really tried," Keith said, trying to mirror Lance and let the anger out of him.

"Well, try now."

"Alright, uh, take my hand," Keith instructed, honestly not knowing where he was going with this.

"So romantic," Lance joked nervously, locking his hand with Keith's outstretched one. They fit well together, as if their hands were designed specifically for each other. Keith hoped Lance wouldn't notice the blush upon his check, but with a glance at the boy, Keith found that hints of pink decorated his own face. The chirping crickets and sounds of moving water came to a stop in Keith's mind, the only thing he could think of was the soft feel of Lance's hands and the contrast between his dark skin and Keith's light skin. The way Lance held his hand, tight and unyielding despite awkwardness seconds before, made the stars in the sky disappear, because nothing could shine brighter than that. "What next?" Lance asked quietly, slightly clearing his throat as if to recenter his thoughts aswell.

"Oh, yeah, uh, one second.” Keith exhaled, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the boy's hand in his, focusing on the sound of the leaves in the breeze and the water running gently over stones. He dug his feet into the ground, the rocks there showing slight resistance but fitting nicely around his shoe after a few seconds of digging. He felt as if there were wires connecting his body to the ground under him: one connecting him to a pile of boulders a few feet away, one connecting him to a ditch multiple acres away, and so on. He could feel a pulse, no doubtedly coming from the underworld Keith felt an even deeper and detailed connection than the regular earth below him. “Okay, speak now,” He instructed, not sure if this would work but weirdly optimistic. 

Lance cleared his throat and seemed a bit frazzled in the first few words he spoke, which made Keith wonder, and even slightly hope he was right, if Lance had been as taken aback as Keith was to their hands so wondrously held together. “Hey, uh, harpie, me and my friend here just want to have a little chat with you.” As Lance spoke, it sounded as if it was doubled. There was the voice coming from the boy opposite Keith, but there was also a faint sound of it coming from the ground around them. It wasn’t too loud though, it was almost like the sound was leaking out from the earth. “We’re next to the welcome sign, and we have some treats you might like, doesn’t that sound nice? If you could bring some of your… stones with you that would be, er, very appreciated.”

Though it was a bit rocky, the charmspeak in Lance's voice was still very evident; Keith only hoped it would transfer in the earth. “You think it worked?” Lance asked. 

Keith was suddenly excruciatingly aware of the fact that he and Lance were still holding hands. Lance seemed to be, as well, and immediately dropped his arms to his sides, looking at his feet with that same look he had on his face periodically after his and Aphrodite's chat: a look that showed he was deeply in thought but with unignorable sadness in his eyes. 

In the distance, there was a loud SQUAAAK noise, and something shot into the sky from a tree, that thing now flying towards the two boys. The sudden reaction shocked both of them out of their flustered and existential state, the memory of them holding hands put to the back of their minds. “Yeah, i think it worked,” Keith said to Lance, both of them watching the harpy get closer and closer.

With their weapons activated and at the ready but concealed behind their backs, the two walked up to great the creature that was now setting down on the rocks, her large wings blowing Keith’s hair back. From her relatively human arms, long, black feathers protruded in layers, replicating the wings of a raven. Her skin was pale and her face was pretty but untamed: dirt smeared on her cheek, a sullen, thin look that made her chin and cheekbones stand out prominently, and long hair the color of her wings grew out from her head, looked as if it had never seen a comb in it’s life. She wore a baggy shirt as a dress, a Star Wars logo displayed promptly in the middle of it.

“Treats…?” She said in a twitchy manner. “You have… Treats?” Her arms were held slightly in front of her, her wings acting as a sort of shield. 

“Oh, uh, sure,” Lance reached into his backpack and took out two containers of pasta. Keith wanted to yell at him for offering up almost all of the food they had left, but then Lance took a few steps towards the harpy and Keith resulted to watching the interaction. The harpy took a few steps back, her arms coming up to almost completely cover her face in fear. “Don’t worry, i won’t bite,” He said in a gentle voice, a small smile making his complexion warm and inviting. “What’s your name?” 

“M-Meredith,” she answered back, her arms slowly moving away from her face as she listened to Lance. 

“You seem hungry, and me and him can always just get more food. You need it more than us,” Lance continued on, gesturing to Keith with a slight nod of his head. He held his arm out patiently, the pasta held out far away from him. Meredith took a few steps forward, looking as if she would run away at any second. In a fast movement she snatched the bins of pasta and took a few steps away from Lance, hiding the pasta in her hand, concealed by her wing. “See? we’re friendly,” Lance said in that same calm voice.

Keith wanted to be angry at Lance for giving away the food so easily without even inquiring about the stones, but instead Keith found warmth in the situation. The gentle way Lance had approached the harpy and how selfless he was to her sparked something in Keith, and it made him appreciate his friend even more. Those stupid butterflies that flew in his stomach whenever he saw Lance were back and Keith wanted to puke them to hell out.

“Now, Meredith, this is very important,” Lance said as she ate the pasta out of the container using her hand. “We need a few of your stones.” 

“M-my stones? Why do you need my stones? They’re my stones,” She said defensively.

“It’s for an important reason,” he promised. “A bad guy is trying to kill a lot of people, and those stones will help us stop him.”

“But they’re my stones,” She repeated.

“I know, but we only need a few.”

“They’re my stones.”

Keith sighed in frustration. He took a few steps towards Lance, noticing that with each step the harpy flinched. “Just charmspeak her,” Keith whispered. “She’s obviously not gonna give them up.”

Lance took a step forward and away from Keith, a determined look on his face. “Why don’t you want to give us one?” He asked Meredith in a gentle voice. Keith didn’t know where he was going with this. They were kind of in a rush, and with only a few words he could get those stones, so what was he doing?

“They’re my stones,” The harpy said again with a tilted head.

“Well… what if i give you something of mine?” Lance proposed. He took another step towards Meredith and she didn’t flinch this time. “If we can have a few of your stones, i’ll give you a cool new thing you can call your own.” 

“What kind of thing…?” 

“What about this jacket?” Lance asked, taking off the leather. “It looks like you could use it.”

Meredith took the item in her hands, rubbing the jacket in between her hands. “Smooth,” she admired. “This is mine?”

“Mhm,” Lance confirmed, “As long as we can have a few of your stones.”

Meredith cocked her head again. “But they’re my stones.”

“Oh, for hades’ sake,” Keith finally growled. He brought his sword from around his back and went to cut the harpy in half, but she was quicker. With a loud squawk, meredith flew a bit off the ground and attacked the two boys with her claws, leaving painful cuts in the face and arms of Keith and Lance. Keith wondered why Lance hadn’t taken out his gun and shot her, which was something Keith knew he could do in only a few seconds, with his fast instincts and great shooting skills, but he only stood there, his arms protecting his head. In the midst of the fight, Keith managed to bring his sword up, turning his body slightly in preparation for the fatal blow to the stupid bird. 

“Stop!” Lance called out, charmspeak thick in his voice. Keith found that he couldn’t move, his arm stuck in its position. The harpy was still flapping her wings and making angry noises. Lance had charmspeak Keith, not Meredith. 

“What the Hell?!” Keith asked Lance, anger and confusion making his head hurt. 

“Don’t hurt her,” He said, lowering his arms from around his face. “She’s just scared.”

“Don’t hurt… me?” Meredith said, cautiously landing back on the ground, her arms and wings held protectively at her chest. “You told him not to hurt me?”

“Yeah… why wouldn’t I?” Lance asked. 

“You’re nice. You’re nice to Harpies,” She said, taking a few steps forward. She made sure not to get too close to Keith, who was unfrozen but still angry. Once she was only a few inches away from Lance, She reached into the breast pocket of the large shirt she wore and took out five small, blue stones. Gently, she took Lance's hand and poured the rocks in.

Lance gave a deep, relieved sigh and gave Meredith a kind smile, his face showing some emotions Keith couldn’t quite make out. “Thank you.”

Faster than Keith could comprehend, the harpy extended her wings and flew into the sky, doing a quick spin and flying back the way she came. On the ground was Lances jacket, either forgotten or purposely left by the harpy. After a long, almost dreamy look in the direction meredith had gone in, Lance put the stones in his pocket and retrieved the leather.

“Let's go,” Lance said simply, walking back to the road and leaving Keith where he stood, still confused. After Keith recovered and followed Lance, the two of them found a car in the parking lot. After Keith jacked it, they were on their way. Lance drove, his foot mostly recovered. The two boys had some nasty cuts from the harpy fight, but neither of them seemed eager to stop and bandage up. 

They drove in silence, the sky becoming darker and the highways getting less and less crowded. Keith looked over at Lance; he looked as he always did now days: deep in thought with a hint of sadness. What had happened at the fight? Why hadn’t Lance just taken the easy way out? He could’ve just charmspeak the harpy so w-

“Sorry for, uh, charmspeaking you back there,” Lance said, interrupting Keith’s thoughts. 

“Why did you?” Keith asked, vocalizing his questions. “Protect her, i mean.”

“You think i’d just let you kill her?” Lance took a deep breath in and out. “‘it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird’.”

“Huh?”

“She didn’t do anything wrong. She was just scared and trying to keep safe. You saw how nervous she was,” Lance said, taking a small look over at Keith. “Makes you wonder what she’s been through and how she’s been treated. When she attacked, she was just protecting herself.”

“Why didn’t you just charmspeak her, then? We’re kinda on a tight time limit and you gave away almost all our food.”

“I don’t know, i guess it just felt unfair,” Lance answered back, his features looking sharp and focused in the lights they passed on the road, “Like she shouldn’t have been taken advantage of.”

“But… she’s a monster,” Keith said, still not quite comprehending what Lance was saying. 

“So?” Lance answered. “Why do all monsters have to be bad? It’s not their fault they were born like that.”

“You’re a demigod. Monsters have basically ruined your life, so why don’t you blame them?”

“Going after demigods is the only thing they know. I’m not saying we shouldn’t kill them, because sometimes we need to, we just shouldn’t blame them for our shitty lives. If i should be blaming anyone it would be my mother for making me a stupid demigod,” He said, both sadness and anger used on the word ‘mother.’

“I still think your logic on that is kind of flawed,” Keith said. “You can’t really blame her for giving birth to you.”

Lance let out a frustrated sigh. “Haven’t we already been over this?”

Keith did recall that; it had been the first time he felt Lance was speaking honestly to him. He had said that it wasn’t necessarily his mom making him a demigod that was the problem, it was the fact that she never showed up to help him through being a demigod, a state she knew he’d be in when she gave birth. 

“Keith,” Lance said after some silence. “You’ve been alone and fighting monsters for most of your life, so i get that you’d hate them, but just try to see from their point of view. Try to let go of some of that anger you’ve gotten over the years and take a clear look at them. ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’”

“What?”

“First thing you do after this quest is over is read To Kill a Mockingbird, okay?” Lance laughed.

It was during that conversation that Keith really saw the differences between him and Lance. Keith had gone all these years blaming the monsters for his life, obviously having anger against his father but not going all the way to blame him for everything wrong in Keith’s life. Meanwhile, Lance blamed the root of the problem: Aphrodite. The two boys had very different point of views, but Keith couldn’t help but think that both of them were being challenged during this quest, their usual ways of thinking being questioned by none other than each other.

After a night of driving, the two boys sleeping in shifts, the sun was coming up from the horizon. Keith, who was now at the wheel, turned into a rest stop area complete with a grocery store, bathrooms, and gas. After shopping to replace the food Lance gave away and reflilling the car with gas, the two sat on a bench next to the grocery store, a fountain a few feet away.

“That hurts,” Keith complained as Lance disinfected and bandaged the cuts on his face and chest, remnants of the fight with the harpy. 

“I don’t care, be still,” Lance replied, steading Keith after he had jerked away from Lances touch. 

“Hey, guys!” a voice said. Keith almost fell off the bench from surprise. Lance looked to see a slightly distorted image of Camp Half Blood in the fountain they sat near, the faces of Lance’s friends looking excitedly up at him. And the rest is history.

After the eventful talk, the two boys were finally back on the road. Lance was at the wheel now, eating some lukewarm french fries he got from the rest stop as Keith sat next to him polishing his knife. “Where to next?” Keith asked. “We only need one more thing.”

“Ah, and the best was truly saved for last,” Lance began, having memorized lectos piece of paper by now. “We need to get the immortal head of the Lernaean Hydra.”

Keith choked on a french fry he had stolen from Lance. “We need to kill the Lernaean Hydra?”

“Well, we just need it’s head.”

“It’s immortal head. The one that remains alive even after it’s cut off. But we don’t know which one that is, so we have to keep cutting off heads till we find it. And each time we cut off a head two grow back.”

“Mhm,” Lance replied, eating another fry. His hair was still a little messy from sleep. It was cute, though. 

“Why are you so nonchalant about this?”

“Because i know we got this. We’ve faced a giant snake thing once before, haven’t we? And besides, i’ve taken classes at camp on how to battle hydras.”

“Well, it lives in water, right? If you haven’t noticed, neither of us are exactly sons of poseidon. You probably can’t charmspeak it and i don’t know if i can raise any zombies or skeletons that know how to swim.”

Lance gave a small smirk. “Who says we need powers? I’m a great shot, you’re not awful with a sword, we got this.”

“Did you just kind of compliment me?” Keith asked, trying to suppress the butterflies in his stomach.

“Don’t get used to it.”

They drove on, only an hour away from their next destination. They drove mostly in silence, one of them occasionally turning the radio on and flipping through channels only to turn the radio off immediately after. Keith Organized the stones and leaves into separate bags, putting both of them in his jacket pocket for safekeeping. Multiple times through the car ride he brought his hand up to his chest, again just to feel no pendant there. Whenever he was reminded of that, it was like physical coldness ran through his body, that warmth the pendant brough now gone. 

Abruptly, Lance spoke up some time later. “So, uh, you think any more about what you’re gonna do after this quest?”

“Not really,” he lied. It was honestly one of the only things he had been thinking about whenever they weren’t arguing with each other or fighting monsters. “You sure you have no opinion on the matter?”

“Me? Uh, nope. Not at all,” he replied, though he did so with a bit of a wince, his blue eyes briefly shutting tightly closed, his eyebrows a bit furrowed.

“...Okay,” Keith said skeptically. Lance always has an opinion on something. He’s one of the most vocal and opinionated people Keith’s ever met. To not have any opinion on what Keith, Lance’s supposed friend, did after this big, bonding quest was not very believable. “It’s just… nevermind.”

“What?”

“Nothin’”

“C’mon, spill. Don’t be emo. We’re friends, right?”

‘Could’ve fooled me,’ Keith thought to himself, thinking about how he and Lance had been getting along the past day or two, their relationship increasing in arguments. He sighed, reminding himself on Aphrodite's advice. “Back a few days ago when we talked with your mom… she told me that if i survived this quest i’d be happy. I don’t want to mess up a chance at happiness by making the wrong choice. I have three options right now, and who knows which one will lead to that happiness she was talking about. I certainly don’t know.”

Keith looked over at Lance, finding him weirdly pale looking. He swallowed hard with some unreadable emotion on his face, staring straight ahead at the road. “So…” Keith said. “What do you think.”

“I- i don’t know, man.” He said, not even looking at Keith, giving him an unhelpful, enthusiastic answer for the second time.

“That’s all i get? An ‘i don’t know, man’?” Keith said, angry at the bland response he got after talking about something personal. A bit of him was just angry in general at Lance, angry at his unreasonableness and his fluctuating personality and his closed offness. Whatever his fear was, and had a small fleeting but hopeless idea of what it was, didn’t seem to be getting any better. Ever since the talk with Aphrodite, Keith had worked hard to get over his fear, trying to accept the fact that his feelings for Lance go a bit past friendship. He had talked about personal things, he tried to get closer to Lance, only for him to be the one who shut Keith out. He knew how much Lance wanted this quest to succeed, so why couldn’t he just get past a stupid fear?

Lance didn’t reply to Keith’s question, that stupid look still on his face. Unable to stop himself and the pestering anger in his veins, Keith said with a scoff, “You could at least give me some fake, bullshit advice and pretend you care about me.”

“What?” Lance said, his eyes being tore away from the road as he looked at Keith sharpley. “You think i don’t-? Keith, i-”

“Save it,” Keith mumbled. “Lets just go kill a stupid hydra.”

He waited for Lance to say something, which was silly since Keith was the one who told him to be quiet. Causing a ping of disappointment in Keith, Lance put his eyes back on the road and didn’t say another word for the remainder of the car ride.

Keith couldn’t help but think there was another reason for him getting so angry at Lance. He started to wonder if he had hoped there would be an answer Lance would say. Maybe there was a bit of him that wanted Lance to tell him to stay at camp. Maybe Keith wanted to keep experiencing Lance’s insufferable behavior and hanging with his lively friends and possibly giving him more time to make a move on the crush he had on him: a stupid, small crush that was spirling to be head over heals. A crush that didn’t even allow Keith to look at the guy without getting those stupid butterflies in his stomach. The stupid crush that made Keith feel cold whenever Lance closed himself off. The crush that made Keith want to talk with Lance for hours, no stressful quest to worry about, no mysterious pasts or mommy issues pestering their minds, just a nice conversation, the two of them lying close in the grass by the lake. Oh gods, Keith was in a lot deeper than he thought. 

And maybe that’s why he was so mad. He wanted to spend more time with Lance, and going back to camp with him meant that that would be possible. But Lance appearing to have no opinion on the matter, that meant that he didn’t care about whether or not he and Keith continued to know each other. He didn’t care if Keith went off to find out what happened in his past even if that meant he’d never see Keith again. And Keith was mad about that because despite that fleeting hope he had previously had, Lance didn’t seem to like Keith back.

And that destroyed Keith.

\---Lance’s P.O.V:

Oh, gods, he messed up.

How hard is it to say “stay at camp, Keith!” or “no, i care about you, Keith!” because according to Lance's brain, it’s pretty fucking hard! Truth is, he does care about Keith. A lot. More than he’d like to admit, and he wanted him to stay at Camp Half Blood more than anything. But he just couldn’t articulate those thoughts into words. 

It’s like as of recently, Lance has hit a wall. He tried to follow Aphrodite's advice, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. The first step, according to his mother, was to accept his crush on Keith. That was proving a bit difficult, but he thought he had gotten there.

Something that had jogged that acceptance process a bit was what Keith said in the car. He had mentioned that Aphrodite promised him a happy life after their quest ended, and the thing was, Aphrodite had said the same thing to Lance. Lance had to get over his fear of love for this quest to succeed. If this quest succeeded, he’d have a happy life, probably because he had gotten over that fear. If Aphrodite had said the same thing to Keith, maybe he had the same fear as Lance. Maybe they were both promised the same thing… because the two of them would be happy together. Like, together together. 

But that was stupid, right? No way Keith liked him back. And Lance didn’t even have that big of a crush on the guy. Sure, he admits that he could see the two of them together, but it wasn’t the end of the world if they didn’t end up together? Right? Well, maybe he did care, considering the fact that if Keith left camp half blood, never to be seen again by Lance, that would destroy him.

Oh gods, Lance was in deeper than he thought. He felt nauseous at how much it all had spiraled. It started as just admiring Keith’s hair or eyes every once in awhile, but now he felt like he needed Keith, like he was Lances oxygen. He found his emoness and anger endearing instead of repulsive, he admired his bravery and his little quirks like polishing that knife or the way his eyes squinted when he was deep in thought.So why couldn’t he just tell Keith to stay at camp? Was his fear really that bad?

“We’re here,” Lance said, tearing himself away from his own thoughts.

“Yipee,” Keith said, close to a growl.

They were at a secluded bay in southern georgia, a few civilians walking around and buying things from local shops, but due to the unusually cold weather, there was no one near the water. Even though the area was small, it was still large enough to not know exactly where the hydra would be.

“Excuse me, sir,” Lance asked a man nearby. “Has there been any reports of dead crops or poisonings in the water?”

“Are you the environmentalists i called?” the man asked, putting his newspaper down. “All the grass and plants on the east part of the bay have died. We’re worried it’ll affect tourist rates in the summer.”

“Uh, yeah. Thank you, we’ll just go do our… environmentalist thing. Have a nice day,” Lance said, walking away. “So now we know where the hydra is,” Lance said to Keith. “You ready for this?”

“You’re the one who was Mr. Confident about it only an hour ago,” mumbled Keith

‘Yeah, when we weren’t fighting and were able to work together,’ Lance thought. They were about to face the deadliest thing on their quest, well, second to Prometheus, and they were barely on speaking terms. That brought his confidence down a little bit. 

The two walked to where the man directed them, luckily finding no civilians nearby. The grass near the water in one specific spot was black and dehydrated looking. From the water in that area, Lance noticed a long, serpent like creature go to the surface, disappearing so quickly that Lance wondered if it was just his mind playing tricks. His instincts, on the other hand, were screaming at him to run away. That meant they were in the right place. 

Lance looked at Keith and wanted to say something along the lines of ‘sorry for earlier’ or ‘you know i care about you, right?’ but no such words left his stubborn mouth. Instead he just said, “Let’s go,” in a voice that didn’t sound like his own. 

“How should we get it’s attention?” Keith asked, drawing his weapons alongside Lance. “Should we go in the water or-”

Suddenly, the water exploded, a large, nine headed hydra suddenly facing them, each head identically frightening looking. It was a sickly dark green color, dotted with blue scaled that made it blend into the water. Thout it had flippers, they looked sturdy enough to walk on land, providing the two boys that faced it no safe place to escape it.

“Remember to avoid the poison,” Keith told Lance, looking up at the monster. “Keep cutting off heads till you find the immortal one.”

“Copy that,” Lance said. 

In what must be a friendly, diplomatic move for him, Keith gave a small smile and said, “let's kick it in the ass.” Lance tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach that had caused. 

Together, the two jumped into battle.

From land, Lance shot at the heads with his gun, making them fly off and land on the grass next to him. He shot two off and neither of them were the immoral ones. Like they predicted, the head stumps began sizzling, two more heads growing back in it’s place. Lance was about to shoot at another one, but the hydra caught on by then. It spit poison and fire at Lance, who was only narrowly missing the projectiles. A head came and snapped at Lance, and between the poison and now sharp teeth, shooting was becoming a bit harder. He took out his sword and sprang into action.

Meanwhile, Keith was spinning, kicking and jumping off the neck and heads of the hydra. He had already cut off three heads, the two new ones for each stump sizzling into life. Though he was making fast progress, he hadn’t been as good at dodging the poison and teeth as Lance had been. There were multiple cuts and singes on his body Lance could already see. After they got the head they needed, Lance would need to have a talk to him about his personal safety. 

Lance cut off another head, though he had a very hard time doing so. Five heads had already been cut off, which means there were now ten, plus the four they still needed to cut off. The two boys may have underestimated how hard this would be. “Keith,” Lance called, “Regroup on land!”

The two of them jumped off the slippery monster and back into the dead grass. They were both huffing and puffing, already out of energy. Keith was holding his side, probably having acquired a deep cut or nasty spit of poison. “We can’t keep going like this,” Keith said. “What should we do?”

“I think i was wrong,” Lance said. “Watch out!” he warned as poison rained down on them. “We do need our powers,” he continued on. 

“How can we use them?”

Lance thought hard. He looked at the now twelve freshly grown heads, which were the biggest problem in this fight. “Maybe i can charmspeak the heads into staying cut off.”

“How would that- ah!” a few heads snapped at them, the boys narrowly missing the sharp teeth. “How would that work?”

“I don’t know if it will, but it’s all we have!”

“What should i do?” Keith asked. He gasped. “Let’s do what we did at the harpies nest! I can amplify your charmspeak to make sure we can get all the heads under your control. Maybe it will make it more powerful, too, since we don’t even know if it will work against this monster.”

“Sounds good,” Lance said, “but we can’t really stand still with our eyes closed and holding hands, the monster would eat us in a second.”

“We’ll just have to try doing it while fighting.”

Lance was puzzled and fascinated by the way the two of their powers could work together. Lance had fought with a lot of demigods in his life, and he’s never experienced the bond he and Keith had when fighting, their powers complimenting each other in every way. He was starting to see what the prophecy meant when it said that he and Keith meeting would be the thing to make their quest succeed. 

The two of them jumped into action again, a new plan in mind. The hydra roared in almost an amused way, as if saying ‘back for more?’ There were only three original heads left. One of them was the immortal one. They could do this.

“Ready?” Lance called. 

Somehow, Keith managed to close his eyes and concentrate while simultaneously fighting the heads, jumping off necks and dodging teeth even without sight. He took a deep breath in, having connected to the earth, and opened his eyes. He nodded to Lance.

Lance cleared his throat. “Oh, hydra, isn’t regrowing all these heads so tiring?” he said, flirt and charmspeak heavy in his voice. Lance wouldn’t deny that his charmspeak grew much stronger over the course of this quest. Something a bit notable was also the fact that now, when he needed a strong charmspeak, the first image in his head was Keith. “Just stop growing new ones! Let them get cut off! Save your energy!”

Even while fighting and focusing on not getting eaten by a hydra head, the two of them managed to connect and boost Lance's voice through the bay, the charmspeak oozing from the ground. For a few scary seconds, it didn’t seem like the heads were being charmspeak, but one by one, they seemed to almost relax, a sign that the charmspeak worked. Lance gave out a victorious laugh. “Let’s cut these bitches!” 

The two went crazy, cutting off each head they could see, no new ones growing in their place. Lance continued his charmspeak, making sure it stayed that way. With a flip that was pretty unnecessary, Keith cut off the three original heads, all of them flopping to the ground. Two of them evaporated into monster dust while one remained snarling and biting. “We got it!” Keith called.

They jumped to land, admiring their handy work. With all the heads cut off and none growing back in their place, the body of the hydra fell over dramatically, dead in the water. The two boys, though tired and injured, jumped up and down, whooping loudly and even hugging. Keith’s body was cold but caused Lance's body to go warm, just like in his dream, though ‘Keith’ had actually turned out to be Aphrodite.

“What?” Keith asked Lance, who’s smile must’ve fallen.

“You should stay at camp!” Lance said out of nowhere, fast and loud. “After this quest, i mean. I would- uh, i mean my friends would miss you if you left. And shiro could visit. And the campers will get over their stupid fear of you,” He ranted on.

“Lance-” Keith said, a smile on his face. 

“And i’m sorry i’ve been such a dick to you on this quest,” Lance continued on. Previously, Lance hadn’t been able to get even a few words out of his mouth, and now they were spilling out to Keith, but he didn’t want to stop talking. He let everything he had been holding back break through. “I, uh, just have some stuff i’m working through, with my mom and everything and the people like Mason at camp and all that.”

“Lance, i-” Keith tried again.

“And-and my mom told me what my biggest fear was and it just really freaked me out and i think i’ve been trying to push you away because-cause my biggest fear… it’s love. I’m not saying i love you or anything that would be silly ha ha but i don’t like, not love you, i don’t hate you or anything but-”

“Lance,” Keith said again. This time, Lance stopped talking, breathing heavy from talking so much and so fast. “I haven’t really been the easiest person to be around on this quest either, with my stupid trust issues and mysterious past and getting claimed and everything… and… i’ve been kind of doing the same thing, pushing you away i mean.” Keith suddenly became very interested in the dirt on the ground. “Because… i have the same fear as you.” 

“... Really?” Lance asked. If he was scared of love and had been distancing himself from Lance, that meant that he… that maybe Lances crush wasn’t as hopeless as he thought. 

“Yeah.”

The two of them just looked at each other, the world around them nonexistent. They were close, their heartbeats fast, their eyes glued on each other. Keith's eyes of purple were like magnets in that moment; Lance couldn’t look away, not like he wanted to, though. Their breathing matched. They were closer. Lance could feel Keith’s heavy breath on his cheek. Another step and they were closer, like Keith’s whole body had that magnet his eyes did. Only slightly aware of what was going on, Lance leaned in. Keith did the same and-

“Ow!” Keith barked. The immortal hydra head had flopped over and bitten him lightly on the ankle. Lance jumped back, realizing with a blush how close they were and what they may or may not have been about to do. Keith kicked the head off and wrapped it in his jacket, putting it under his arm. 

The two boys looked at eachother again, that spark still there but the moment over. Lance cleared his throat. “Uh, ready to go?” 

“Mhm,” Keith said. Though there was some lingering awkwardness, Lance felt closer to Keith now, having shared his last remaining secret with the boy, no boundaries separating them anymore. Well, he still had one secret, but he was now almost sure Keith was sharing the same secret. “I will, by the way,” Keith said as they walked back to the car.

“You’ll what?”

“Stay at camp.”

“You will?” Lance asked a bit too excitedly. 

“Well, someone’s gotta keep you outta trouble.”

“Keep me out of trouble? If anything i think i’m your impulse control, not the other way around,” Lance laughed. They lightheartedly bickered some more, laughing and elbowing each other, something different between the two of them. 

Once in the car, Lance took a look at the boy next to him, his black hair plastered with sweat, his face covered in cuts and blood, his eyes piercing as usual. Lance sighed. Oh gods, he really was in deep. 

With a starting engine, the radio playing, and Keith driving down the road and into florida, the two boys made their way to the final part of their quest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well wasn't that eventful? like i said before, this is one of my fav chapters. I just love love love how Keith and Lance interacted in it and how they both realized at the end "oh worm? he might like me back." That will defiantly come up next chapter, which will be this stories last chapter. 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed! comments really motivate me and mean more to me than you know, so pls feel free to fill up my inbox. pls pls leave kudos as well and subscribe/bookmark to keep up with the story. Also, come talk to me on my tumblr (lanceisthebest)! send me any asks you might have about the story and i'd love to answer them.
> 
> I'd like to say that next chapter will be here in two weeks but with the amount of work i've had recently, i'm leaning towards three weeks again, especially since it's the last chapter so i wanna make sure i tie everything up. It's gonna be wild, see you then!


	6. This, it's Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two boys go through the fight of a lifetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!IMPORTANT: i know last chapter i said there'd only be one chapter left, but this one turned out to be longer than i expected so there will be one more chapter after this one, though it might be a liiitle shorter than usual.
> 
> Also, i'm so so so sorry for how long this took me to write, i promise you i haven't given up on this fic (i would never; this is deadass my favorite thing i've ever writen) i just went threw a kinda personal think recently and it took a toll on me, my motivation to write being included in that, but i'm back and i'm feeling much better :) So enjoy this chapter! It's a good one ;)

\---Keith's P.O.V:

“You’re stirring it wrong.”

“How the Hades can i be stirring it wrong?”

“You have to go clockwise three times, then counterclockwise five times,” Allura said, a frustrated look on her face. 

After driving for a few hours, arriving only an hour away from where Prometheus supposedly was, Keith and Lance stopped to camp out and get everything ready for the day to come. Lance had fallen asleep on the ground as Keith tried, and apparently was failing, at making the potion all the ingredients they acquired had to go into. He quickly iris messaged Allura for help.

“There you go,” Allura said happily, Keith getting the hang of it. He was bent over a pot he and Lance had bought at a nearby appliance store. It was over an open flame on the cold earth, all three ingredients plus some water now being mixed in the pot. The mixture was turning thick and a sickly green color, something that made Keith nervous. It gave off a strong odored vapor, which the iris message was appearing out of. 

“Are you sure this is safe to drink?” Keith asked. “We didn't get this recipe from a very trustworthy person.” He thought back to Lecto and the mysteries of Keith’s past she left dangling in the air. He looked down at his pendantless chest, the warm color upon it gone, the safety it had provided lacking. 

Allura sighed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. It was pretty late at night and she had been on kitchen duty, the iris message appearing in the steam of the water and lava mixture they used to wash the dishes. “I can’t be 100% sure, but most of the items you put in there are historically symbolic of safety and protection, so i like your chances.”

Keith leaned out of the smoke the mixture was emitting, his hair a frizzy mess. “Good,” he breathed out in relief.

“How’s the quest going?”

“Uh, it’s fine?” Keith said, not expecting a conversation with Allura. It felt weird talking to her without Lance, like your friend left you alone in a room with their parent. 

“You guys don’t have much time left. You ready for this?” 

“Mhm, we got this,” Keith said a bit more confidently than he actually felt. Still, he did feel as though he was ready for this big fight. It was like something had changed in Keith, something a long time coming but really changing at one moment. It had to do with his biggest fear and the post-battle conversation he and Lance had at the bay.

As if she could read his mind, Allura nodded over to Lance, asleep on the ground with his back up against their parked car. “How’s sleeping beauty doing? You two getting along?”

Allura did this weird thing where whenever she saw Lance and Keith together, she'd take a long look at one of them and then at the other one, her eyes squinted, as if trying to figure something out. It made Keith uncomfortable, and he was glad that with Lances sleeping state this conversation didn’t have any of those weird eye shifts. But now, with the conversation of Lance up, she was just looking at Keith with that same squinty expression.

“He’s… fine,” Keith said, scared of misspeaking or saying something wrong. “We get along fine, most of the time.”

“...uhu,” She said analytically. 

“What?” Keith asked, unable to contain himself. 

Allura must’ve caught herself doing it because she cleared her throat and stopped squinting. “Nothing,” she said, a few seconds of silence shared between the two of them. “Now that the quest is ending, what’re you going to do after it?” 

Keith’s been getting that question a lot recently, it coming from himself many times, and he was glad he actually had an answer now. “I’m gonna go back to camp with Lance. If, you know, i’m welcome there.” 

“Of course you’re welcome there,” Allura said. “Trust me, all this drama over who your dad is goes away. It was just a shock to people and they didn’t know how to react, and with the whole Hestia situation, they needed someone to blame. Plus, if you’re friends with Lance, he’ll probably force people to like you,” she said with a laugh. 

Keith definitely hoped so. Now that he’s made up his decision on where his home was, he was more scared than ever at losing it. It would be a shame to show up at camp after this long and frankly draining quest only to be forced out, people's mindsets not having changed. 

“What made you make up your mind on coming back here?” Allura asked. 

“A few things…” All of those things happened to be Lance. After they had defeated the hydra, Lance had blurted out that he should go back to camp. He also, as if he could read Keith’s mind on the car ride over to the battle, apologized for the confusing and inconsistent ways he’d been acting, pulling a strong move and revealing his biggest fear. 

On the bus ride after the talk with Aphrodite, Lance had said that his fear was a ‘stupid one to have, especially for him,’ and now that made sense. How ironic was it that Lance was scared of the very thing he should be embracing with his parentage: love. It explained the distance he had tried to put between him and Keith, the very distance Keith had been crushed by. 

Something that Keith couldn’t shake out of his head was… if Lance was scared of love, and he had been distancing him from Keith, does that mean that he loves him? The very possibility of that made Keith want to lay in a patch of grass and scream at the sky, not knowing what to do with that information. Should he make a move on Lance? Should he wait for Lance to make a move? Wait, what kind of Love is he talking about. Platonic? Brotherly? Oh gods, Keith hoped not. But wait, he shouldn’t get too ahead of himself.

Keith, who shared the same fear as Lance, had been scared at the very possibility of strong feelings. When he started this quest with Lance, he knew there was some opportunity for love, but also one for hatred. That alone had scared Keith, causing him to distance himself like he usually did, but apparently that didn’t work, because it had recently become excruciatingly clear what kind of strong feelings were forming. Scratch that, were formed. They were well formed by now. 

Maybe Lance was like that? He probably didn’t love Keith, he just saw a possibility of love there. An opportunity he wanted to crush at the source. And anyway, Keith was probably just digging too deep into this. Is this really what it’s like having a crush? Keith’s had small interests in other guys before, but this was just so different. He was head over heels, any and everything Lance did going straight to Keith’s head, trying to analyze and process his motions and feelings at any hope at finding mutual attraction there. Whenever he looked at the guy, it was like butterflies were having a rave in his stomach. It was gross, and Keith just wanted it to be over. 

That was probably his fear talking. That was another thing. Their quest would be in its final stages very soon, only a day left on their time limit. Something both the prophecy and Aphrodite had both stressed was the fact that Keith and Lances fears would be the things to kill this quest dead. The goddess of love had told him to get over his fear, to not be afraid of love, but has Keith done that? He’s definitely accepted fact that he has a crush on Lance… but that’s not love, right? Just a crush. Or maybe that was what Keith was trying to convince himself. Maybe he hadn’t gotten anywhere and his fear of love was still going strong. Gah, his head hurt with all these speculations. 

All he could do was hope he had come farther than he thought. The battle would go down in only a few hours, and that certainly wasn’t enough time to get over a fear that’s been developing for years, so there wasn’t much he could do about it now. He wondered if Lance had gotten anywhere with his fear. Keith really didn’t know. Lance was the one who was always calling Keith his friend, so maybe that was it? Maybe he had gotten over the fear that easily? No… there was something else there. It wouldn’t be as easy as that. Then again, Keith could never tell what Lance was thinking. 

“Keith. Keith!” Allura shouted. 

“Hmm?”

“Are you listening?” She asked with an eyebrow raised.

“...yes?” Keith lied. 

Not believing him, Allura repeated herself. “Those potion ingredients are not very dense so i wouldn’t count on the effects lasting more than an hour, so you’ll want to take it right when you get to the cave you told me about.” 

“Oh, thanks,” Keith said genuinely. “We’ll see you soon.”

“You better,” Allura said, a small, repressed glint of worry evident on her face. She looked at Lance and then Keith with that weird expression. It looked like she wanted to say something more, but she must’ve decided against it. With a small wave goodbye, the iris message stopped, leaving Keith along with a sleeping boy and a bubbling potion.

It was cold out, colder than it had been during the entirety of the quest, but Keith wasn’t wearing his jacket due to not wanting to burn it or get any weird ingredients on it. He had grown strangely fond of the jacket he’s had during the entirety of the quest. The green army material was filled with slashes and small blood stains from their fights, a symbol of what Keith had been through to get to the end of their journey. 

Keith listened to the crickets in the woods as he shivered, holding his arms to his chest for warmth. After pouring the completed portion into two empty water bottles into the back of the jacked car they took over here, Keith had regrettably extinguished the flame he cooked it upon. 

“hnng,” Lance groaned in his sleep, making Keith quietly scoff. The boy must’ve woken himself up, because his eyes slowly blinked open soon after. “Whu’ time is it? ‘nd what’s that smell?” He said with an eye rub. 

“Almost morning,” Keith said, sitting criss cross on the cold ground a few feet away from Lance.

“What are you doing?” Lance asked, more awake now. “Do you want to freeze to death?” He got up, took Keith’s jacket from off the ground and draped it around his shoulders, almost aggressive.

“Thanks, mom,” Keith said sarcastically, though he felt warm at the care Lance was putting forward.

“Is the potion ready?” 

“Mhm,” Keith said, holding up the bottles.

“Looks appetizing,” Lance commented, to which Keith nodded at. “Should we start packing up? We should hit the road soon.” 

All the two needed to do was one thing: free hestia. It was a simple but hard task, but one that probably wouldn’t take too much time if it went smoothly. Still, their deadline loomed over them like a cloud. They only had one more day to finish their task, and if they didn’t, the world as they knew it would end. That kind of thing put you in a bit of a rush. Even with their destination in mind only an hour away. The two packed up the car and were on the road by the time the sun shone over the horizon.

“Okay, so we show up at this cave,” Lance checked over for at least the third time in the past thirty minutes, “drink the potion, fight Prometheus, and free hestia so she can tend to the hearth. Right?” 

“For the third time, yes.” 

“But what if he pulls a twist or has an army waiting for us or-”

“I don’t know,” Keith said, getting stressed out. “We won’t know till we get there, so we just have to be ready for anything.”

“But how do we be ready for anything? What should we do? Do we just walk into the cave with just the two of us and no game plan?” As Lance talked, he gradually get louder and louder.

“I don’t know, Lance.” 

Keith expected another spur of stressed questions, but Lance just gave a long sigh, looking down at his lap in the passenger's seat. “Sorry. I know i’m stressing. I guess i’m just… scared. This didn’t feel real until now. There’s no more pushing it to the back of my head and thinking ‘that’s in the distant future, no need to worry now.’”

Keith signed to match Lance’s. “I know. I feel the same way. But we fight well together, and we’re more ready than we’ve ever been.”

“...You’re right,” Lance said after a few second, giving Keith a small smile that made his heart race. 

The two arrived at their location: Clearwater Beach, Florida. There were barely anyone around, the cold temperature driving away tourists. A lively, warm, colorful beach Lance explained he had seen in his dream all those nights ago was now cold, drab, and lifeless. It made Keith almost angry at Prometheus, at how he could just snatch away warmth like that.

A small part of Keith was still angry at Hestia for almost forcing Keith out of his home with shiro just for her own interests, but now, he just wanted her back. He wanted his friend back, he wanted the warmth of the world back, he wanted this beach back. He would get her back if it was the last thing he did. 

\---Lance’s P.O.V: 

If you ignored the cold, it seemed like a perfectly normal day for anyone other than half bloods. So many people didn’t know that the world as they know it would become a living hell if Lance and Keith didn’t do something by the end of this day. That’s what made it so strange, the two boys sitting at a wooden bench by the sand. It would just be a normal day without Prometheus in a cave so close by. Lance was trying to ignore that as he and Keith shared a meal before their fight. He was trying to enjoy a happy time before he possibly died in that cave.

“If it was warmer and there was more people, this beach would actually be really nice,” Lance commented after taking a bite of the turkey sandwich they picked up on the way over. 

“Mhm,” Keith replied, taking a bite of his own. Earlier, the two of them were rushing out to get here, not wasting any time with their deadline being today, maybe even sooner. Now, it seems they’d do anything to procrastinate the inevitable. 

“The waves are really nice. Good for swimming.” Lance laughed to himself. “I still don’t get how you’re not a water person.”

“I don’t know, i guess i didn’t have time to swim,” Keith said.

Lance put down his sandwich and held his hand up to Keith. “Pinky promise me that you’ll go swimming with me in the camp lake after this is all over.”

Keith laughed, a rare sound Lance had grown very fond of. “You’re a dork.”

“C’mon, don’t leave me hanging.” 

Keith sighed and brought his hand up as well, linking his and Lances pinky fingers together. “I promise,” He said almost mockingly but with meaning. This was something to look forward to. Something to live for. If they died here, Keith would be break his promise to go swimming with Lance, and they couldn’t let that happen. 

Neither of them spoke, roaring waves adding background noise to a scene so quiet and still. It was hard to understand that this was it; this was the last part of their quest. Everything could either succeed here, or fail here.

“Two will travel south to a place holding love,” Lance began, reciting the prophecy he had been trying to push out of his head until now, “The Dark Helm and the Beautiful Dove. Their fears will spread and destroy the fire. Despite the hardships, they’ll end the liar. On this journey one thing will be crucial. It’s the meeting of the Dark and the Beautiful.”

“The first part’s been done,” Keith said. “We traveled south to Florida, aka ‘a land holding love,’ and we’re children of hades and aphrodite.”

“I’m still not a fan of our ‘fears spreading and destroying the fire,’” Lance said with a nervous chuckle, that line especially having relevance over the past few days, Lance really working to come to terms with his fear and crush.

“Me neither, but what about us ‘ending the liar?’ That has to mean Prometheus, right?”

“I hope,” Lance said with a small sigh. 

“And the last line?” Keith asked.

“I guess that means we have to use our cool, combined power move,” Lance said. 

Keith nodded. “We got this,” He said, though a bit quietly.

The sounds of the waves felt almost out of place here. A calming sound on a day that was anything but calm for these two boys. The cold stinged Lances checks and made Keith’s hands colder than usual. There were no seagulls or animals or life insight; they’d all left to find a warmer home, no doubt, and Lance hoped they’d find one. If they didn’t succeed here, on this day, there’d be no more warm places to flee to.

“I know i can be a jerk sometimes,” Keith began out of the blue, “And sometimes we fight, but i just want you to know that… i do really care about you.” 

Lance certainly hadn’t expected that. Keith’s not the most emotionally vulnerable person, and to admit something like that showed true trust in the pair, and it also showed how far Keith had come in getting past his fear. Lance hoped he himself had gotten that far, but he still had his doubts.

“Me too,” Lance said, looking the boy across from him in his magnetic eyes. “I, aswell, really care about me.” 

Keith punched him in the shoulder with a small laugh. “Jerk.”

“But really,” Lance said, serious this time. “I care about you, too.” 

The waves crashed in the distance as the two boys held their eyes there. They started out so distant from each other, but more similar than they realized. They both pushed each other away, for what Lance hoped was the same reason, but now they were here. They could admit to each other the care they felt for the other and the friendship they cherished. Though Lance still wasn’t 100% he lied up to Aphrodite’s task, he knew that he had come a long way with Keith, and in doing so he had to face his fear.

“This definitely was a crazy quest,” Lance said after some silence. Both of their sandwiches were long since forgotten on the wooden table.

“Yeah,” Keith said with a scoff. “I think the hydra was my favorite fight.”

“Mine too,” Lance said with a scoff. “I liked the two headed snake, also.”

“That was wild.” The two continued on talking about the fights they had and the monsters they faced, as if they were old friends thinking back to the good ol’ days. Lance noticed that neither of them brought up the fight with the dwarves where they had kissed. It was still a pretty awkward topic between the two of them, but Lance had been thinking of it a lot recently. Mostly about how he wouldn’t be mad if it happened again. That was putting it lightly. He desperately wanted it to happen again. But not in some old house to save each other from monsters, just a proper kiss. Something deep and personal, something between just the two of them.

If this truly was the end of their journey and maybe their lives, Lance should confess, right? Was he okay with dying without Keith knowing this dream? Was he okay with Keith never knowing the fact that he’s a sun to Lance, a beacon of warmth that gives him energy to go on? Was he okay with not getting that kiss before he died in this final battle? But that would all depend on if Keith liked him back or not. If he didn’t, and Lance confessed, it would ruin the friendship they spent so much time and energy on forming. It would no doubt send Lance back to the start, his fear of love stronger than ever at the rejection. Was he okay with having his possible last living moments filled with awkwardness between him and the person whose friendship he ruined? He really wasn’t.

“I think we should go now,” Keith said glumly after a few minutes. “We don’t have much time.”

“Yeah…” Lance said. 

The two of them stood up, getting their weapons and potions ready. Keith had his bracelet on and his knife secured in the sheath Lance’s friends had made all those days ago. Lance had his sword around his back and his gun on his hip. Each of them had a bottle of potion in their pockets and Lance had a bag slung across his shoulder with things like ambrosia and water in it.

“Okay. We’re ready to go,” Keith said.

They faced each other, nerves fluttering their stomach and dread filling their head. The two boys looked at eachother, and as if reading the others mind, they both stepped forward and opened their arms for a hug. It wasn’t a short hug, or a small bro-hug, it was deep. It was long and emotional, and neither of them wanted to let go.

“We’ll be okay,” Lance said, his head on Keith’s shoulder and his eyes peering out to the crashing waves of the sea. “We’ve got this far. One more enemy and we’re home free.” At this point, he didn’t know if he was trying to convince Keith or himself. 

“I know,” Keith said with a sigh, his head buried in Lance’s neck. In any other situation, there would be butterflies in Lance’s stomach and he’d be a blushy mess with Keith this close, but right now, he understood. He understood the impulse of needing a hug or hiding yourself away in someone's touch, because this whole thing was emotionally wrecking. When you’re a halfblood, you’re used to fearing for your life, that tiny voice always telling you of danger nearby. But now, the two boys were staring it right in the eye. They were walking to an enemy of great power with an army on his side, their time almost out. They didn’t only have to think about their own lives, but they had to worry about the lives of everyone in the entire world. 

After they separated and smoothed their shirts out a bit to reset the atmosphere, they had procrastinated enough. Lecto’s paper had the exact coordinates of the cave, so the boys knew exactly where to go. They walked away from their wooden table at the parking lot and onto the sand. They walked, the damp sand from the fog filled afternoon sticking to their shoes. 

After 10 minutes of silent walking, they reached a large sand dune, sand piled up high, greenery decorating the top of it. As they stood in front of the isolating landmark, the roaring wind broke around it and caused an unsettling silence in the ears of the boys, the wind only a soft and muted sound now. 

Keith brought out his crinkled water bottle filled with dark potion. “Bottoms up,” he said. Lance brought out his as well and the two ceremonially clinked the old plastic and downed the contents, puckered expressions from the both of them. 

Lance coughed in disgust. “This tastes awful,” he began, “but not as bad as i expected a melted hydra head, leaves, and stones to taste.” Keith nodded in agreement, his eyebrows furrowed with the taste. Lance grabbed the water bottle out of his hand and shoved both plastics into the sand at their feet. He looked at them on the ground and thought for a few seconds. “If we make it out alive, i swear to the rivers styx i’ll get those recycled.” Again, another promise relying on them getting out of this alive. Something to hold on to.

“What now?” Keith asked, looking at the still blank, sand wall. 

“I just have to say a passcode,” Lance said, remembering lectos paper. He took a step closer to the sand and said the words, “ignis occisio.”

For a few terrifying seconds, nothing happened. Keith looked over at Lance. “Did you say it rig-?” The earth started to rumble aggressively, sand shifting and waves crashing loudly. The wall in front of them split open, excess sand falling to the ground. The two stuck their heads in to see a dark, dry tunnel heading underground. Though they weren’t even in it yet, Lance could feel a deep chill coming from the tunnel, even colder than the air outside. 

This made Lance nervous. Why would the place hestia is held in be so cold? You’d think it would be warm, unless the hearth had burnt out before they got there. It was likely with their shorter time limit and the rate her fire had been dwindling. If they were too late, all this work would be for nothing, and camp and the world would end. How would that even happen, though? How quickly would it take for the world to end? Would it be slow? Or right away? Maybe it wou-

“Dude, you ready?” Keith asked, snapping his attention away from his thoughts. 

“Mhm,” Lance answered. He took a deep breath and took out his gun. “Let's go,”

Together they stepped into the dark. The earth closed behind them.

\---Keith’s P.O.V:

It felt like they had been walking forever, but it had only been a few minutes. It seemed the further they traveled the steeper and colder the tunnel got. Lance was practically shivering and the two of them had to hold on to each other and the sides of the tunnel to keep from slipping down it. 

“Should we be ready t-to fight something?” Lance asked, his voice slightly echoing. 

“I don’t know…” Keith said. He couldn’t tell if the uneasiness he was feeling was from regular demigod reflexes telling him there was a monster nearby, or if it was his son of Hades powers sensing mayhem in the earth, which Keith and Lance were currently in. So either way, it wasn’t good. 

The ground started to level out, the tunnel getting wider and going straight now instead of deeper into the ground. The two boys exchanged nervous glances, something at the end of the tunnel now visible. It looked like the opening to the room, and with nowhere else to go, the boys made their way to it. 

“What is this?” Lance asked once they entered it. It looked like someone had blown a hole in the earth. The room was large, and it wasn’t much of a room. It was in a sphere shape, the rounded ceiling and walls made of cracked, brown earth. The floor, however, was clean and straight. It was level, as if it cutting the circle shape of the room in half. All around the room, there were sections of wall that were thinner than the rest of the solid walls. It was unnerving.

“Can you sense any traps or anything?” Lance asked, the two of them walking to the middle of the room.

“We’re surrounded by earth, close to the underworld, and i think there’s a lot of monsters near us. My senses are a bit overwhelmed right now,” Keith answered, trying to concentrate on specific part of the room, though his mind could only register the earth all around him. “Where do you think we go now?”

There was no door in the room except the small opening they just entered from, It seemed like a dead end, but there were literally no other ways to go. Maybe this was all a trick from Lecto. “I don’t know,” Lance sighed nervously. 

Then, faster than either boy could react, those thin parts of the walls opened up, cannon like machines being exposed behind them. Those small metal machines squirted a yellow gas into the room, filling it quickly. The two boys tried running away from the yellow gas, but the single opening in the room closed, trapping them in there. Even with trying to cover their mouths, things happened so quickly and the gas was in their lungs in no time. 

It hit Lance first. His face looked strained, like he was holding in a cough, then he fell on the ground. The second he hit it, he started shaking, as if he was having a seizure. “Lance!” Keith called, going to his knees next to the boy and trying to get a response out of him. Only a few seconds of intense worry for his friend later, it hit Keith as well. Just has Lance had, he fell quickly to the floor and started to shake. He had no control of his body, and it felt like lava was running through his veins. He wanted to cry out in pain, but he couldn’t even open his mouth to yell. 

Almost sure he was about to die in that weird room, the pain stopped as quickly as it began. Keith found himself lying on his back, looking up at the tall ceiling and the yellow gas still filling the room. Remembering Lance, he quickly looked next to him to see he had stopped shaking as well. “Lance, buddy, you okay?” He coughed out, nervously awaiting an answer. 

“Yeah,” he replied weakly. He sat up on his knees, as did Keith, and the two helped raise each other to their feet. 

“What was that stuff?” Keith asked. “Or… what is it? It’s still in the room.” 

Lance took a deep breath in, but he didn’t collapse again, luckily. “I think that’s why we needed that potion,” He said. “This whole cave thing must be designed to kill you with the gas right here if you haven’t drank that protective potion. Pretty tight security,” He joked. 

Keith was suddenly very glad he ate the gross hydra head stew. “If that’s the first layer of security, what’s the second?” Keith asked. Just then, there was a deep rumble in the earth. Two tunnels at the opposite side of where they entered opened, something coming from them towards the boys. 

“You just had to ask, didn’t you?” Lance said, taking out his sword and pointing his gun up. Keith got his own two weapons ready. Hordes of Gegeines, earthborn monsters, flooded the tunnels and made their way into the large room. They were about the same size as the two boys, made out of rock and mud, and all of them carried large rocks in their hands. They’re hard to kill, especially in large numbers, which they were currently in. 

Keith took a few steps towards Lance. “Lets pick a few of them off and see if we should do our combined power thing?” he proposed quickly. “We don’t want to use all our energy right away.”

Lance gave him a quick nod.

Keith sprang forward, cutting the nearest monster in half. He didn’t look back to see if it killed it, already moving onto a few more. Keith kicked one rock monster into another, causing both of them to topple over and break on the ground, and he sliced in a wide arch, cutting another one deeply. Lance was making good speed as well and had shot the heads off four monsters. Even with their quick moves, there were still a lot more gegenines flooding the room, as well as the dead ones slowly reforming.

“I think we have to use our powers now,” Lance told Keith, the two of them fighting as they talked. “We’re running out of time.” 

“How about i open a hole in the ground and you charmspeak them to jump into it?” Keith proposed. 

“Okay,” Lance said, “But open the cut right where the tunnel meets this room so no more can enter. I’ll cover you.” 

Keith took a deep breath, digging his feet into the ground. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the earth and monsters around him, he used it to fuel his powers. Earth was his domain, and he was surrounded by it. He felt those wire like connections go through the earth, connecting Keith to every boulder, every mound of dirt, even these earth monsters. He imagined a large, wide crack breaking through the earth right in front of the tunnels the monsters were coming from, and when he looked over, the crack was there. 

Unable to stop themselves because of the sheer amount entering the room, lots of the gegines just fell right in, making their way back to tartarus. There still were many in the room, though, so that’s when Lance took over. “Don’t you guys wanna jump in this nice pit?” He asked them, flirt and charmspeak strong in his voice. “Just go right in! You must love the earth, and this nice crack will just lead to even more earth!”

That must’ve been convincing enough for them, because two thirds of the rock monsters stopped for a few seconds, then ran to the crack and jumped in. Something Keith had realized at that moment was how strong Lance’s charmspeak really had become. At the beginning of this quest, Lance could only charmspeak strongly if the person or thing thought he was pretty, but now he was charmspeaking hydra heads, a room of rock monsters, and weird dog people, all of whom didn’t even understand the concept of beauty. Lance himself didn’t question it anymore. If he needed to charmspeak something, he’d do just that. Maybe it had gotten stronger because he was more confident in himself? Or he could have gotten more practice on this quest and improved because of that. Or maybe he found some sort of motivation.

With some of the monsters still in the room, the two boys worked together to destroy the rest of them. Though they started to reform once they were broken on the ground, they were doing so slowly, which was good. Keith got hit with a few boulders, possibly breaking a rib on his left side where he felt a sharp pain every once in awhile, but besides that he hadn’t been injured much. He just hoped that opening that crack didn’t tire him out too much. During the big fight with Prometheus he and Lance would probably need every bit of their energy. 

About five minutes later, Keith and Lance were left with a crack in the earth and slowly reforming rock monsters broken on the ground. “...Now what?” Lance asked. Like the room was listening, a piece of earth broke away on the side of the wall to reveal another tunnel. “Should we take that one or one of the ones the monsters were coming from.” The tunnels the rock monsters had flooded in from closed suddenly. “Alright, i guess that settles it.” 

The two paraded onwards down the tunnel, trying to prepare for whatever they’d face next. The deeper they got into this weird underground place, the colder it got. A deep chill ran through Keith, both physically and psychologically. He felt unsettled, a cold, lifeless feeling deep in his gut along with the actual chilliness of the air stinging his cheeks. As the tunnel went deeper down and got more cold, the earth turned a darker, richer color. 

“What do you think is next?” Lance asked, walking with a bit of a jog to keep warm.

“I don’t know,” Keith said, doing the opposite and trying to just ignore the coldness.

“This is pretty Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,” Lance joked. “Would that make Prometheus Voldemort?” 

“What?”

“Have you ever even read a book?” 

The two of them reached a crossroads. The tunnel split into three separate tunnels, each looking identical. “What way should we go?” Keith asked. 

“I don’t know, y-you’re the earth guy,” Lance answered with a shiver. 

In the ground in front of the tunnels, three spring flowers grew. One was a peach color, the petals long and slender. Another was maroon and short, and the third was light blue. Lance looked at them curiously, bending down and going to touch one. Suddenly, those flowers grew tall, spiraling and transforming into three women who though looking human, slightly resemble their flower. The peach one was tall and thin, her golden skin covered in a modern outfit of her flowers color, topped off with a silk hijab atop her head. The maroon one was short like the flowers of her petal with a flowing dress of a deep wine red. Lastly, there was a girl with olive skin and a light blue pant suit to compliment it, the same color of her blue flower.

“Hold on there, boy,” The first woman said to Lance, who had been close to touching her flower. 

“Oh, sorry,” Lance said back, looking understandably confused. “... Who are you three.”

“We’re the horae,” the one in blue answered. “I’m Thallo.”

“I’m Auzo,” the one in peach answered with a flirty wave.

“And i’m Carpo,” the one in magenta said finally. “We’re the goddesses of summer fruit and spring flowers and gate keepers of olympus.”

“And i assume you’re gatekeepers of these tunnels aswell?” Keith asked. 

“Sort of,” said Carpo. “We’re acting sort of like a sphinx. We have some riddles, and if you answer them correctly then we’ll tell you what tunnel is the right one.”

Keiths heart sunk slightly. Neither him nor Lance were children of Athena. Sure, they could come up with plans and get by on cleverness, but riddles? That certainly wasn’t Keith’s strong suit. He’d just slice them in half and continue on his way, but the two boys needed to know what tunnel to go through. Though he managed to open the ground in the last battle, Keith was still feeling overwhelmed and couldn’t just tap into Prometheus’s location to find him through the earth. 

“Cool,” Lance said. He stepped forward with a charming smirk on his face. “I do have to say, your outfits? Gorgeous, just like you. You guys should be the goddesses of spring and summer fashion instead of fruits and flowers. Girl, you’re skin is flawless,” he told Auzo. “And you just look fresh out of Italy, loving the hair,” he said to Thallo. “And your eyes look like they hold the whole universe in them,” he said finally to Carpo. “Now, me and my friend here are in a little bit of a rush, and we would so appreciate it if you gorgeous, strong ladies could just tell us the way to go?”

“Oh you aphrodite boys,” Thallo said with an amused smile, “Always a flatter. You know, we were there when your mama was born from sea foam. It was such a site. Unfortunately, you do need to answer some riddles, and then we can tell you where to go.”

Lance sighed, visually upset at his attempt failing. Keith thought it was kind of funny. “Alright, let’s hear the riddles.”

“There are three of them,” Auzo began, “and only one of you can answer them, so who’s it gonna be?”

“I got this,” Lance told Keith.

“Are you sure?” Keith asked skeptically. Again, sure Lance was clever and thought on his feet, but the two of them really needed to find the right tunnel and do it quickly. 

“What? You don’t believe in me or something?” It was said playfully, but Keith detected a hint of actual offense, which was typical of Lance, who was very easily offended. “I told you, i got this.” He said, locking eyes with Keith in a way that said trust-me,-i-have-a-plan. “I’ll do it,” he said, turning to the three women. 

“Terrific,” Thallo said, clapping her hands together. “The first riddle goes ‘i kill you but you aren’t dead when i leave. What am i?’”

Lance thought for a few seconds, and Keith was nervous. With a confident smile he said, “Having your heart stop beating but restarting seconds later.”

“That’s… not the correct answer,” Thallo said after a few seconds. 

“Yes it is,” Lance said. “I answered the question, and my answer is logically correct, so i technically gave a correct answer.”

Thallo looked at the others but they just shrugged. “But… that’s not… ugh, fine. Onto the next riddle.” 

Keith couldn’t believe his ears. Lance was such a smart ass, but Keith actually admired the tactic he used. The fact that it worked was astonishing. But after all, it was pretty… smart. 

Auzo spoke the next riddle. “All people have them but they rarely see them. What are they?” 

“Intestines,” Lance said. 

“Well, technically, but that’s not-”

“If it’s technically true than it’s a correct answer. This was already established,” Lance said with crossed arms.

Auzo gave an annoyed sighed. “Uh, sure.”

“Alright, hit me with the next one,” Lance said. 

“You know, you aren’t doing this right,” Carpo said. “We shouldn’t even let you through.”

“Why not? I’m answering correctly.” Lance said.  
“But you’re not doing the game correctly. These are supposed to be smart answers!”

Lance sighed. “My answers are right though, so they’re smart.”

All three of the women were looking annoyed now, carpo speaking on behalf of all three of them. “We won't give you the next riddle until you answer this one, and the first one, correctly.”

Keith was panicking but when he looked over at Lance he found him to look calm and even slightly smug. He cleared his throats and took a step towards the three women, all of whom were crossing their arms with an angry look on their faces. “Let me put it this way,” he began. “That guy in there, Prometheus, is going to kill hestia and her fire, and the world will become cold and lifeless. I don’t know what kind of golden age he promised you, but it’s not true. You and the rest of the gods will slowly and probably agonizingly will disappear from existence as the human race dies out and there’s no one to believe in you anymore. No more people to bless with spring flowers. No more people to eat summer fruit. No more people. And all three of you will be dead. If you don’t give me the third riddle and accept my bullshit answer, we can’t stop him and all that bad stuff will happen. So what’s it gonna be?”

All three of the women were quiet and still, looks of fear upon their faces. After a few seconds of this, Carpo cleared her throat and said quietly, “so, the third riddle is, ‘If a pair of socks, a knife, and a book disappears from your house, where do they go?”

Lance smirked wide. “Some place other than my house.”

“Terrific,” Carpo said, the other two women smiling and nodding. “Take this tunnel to the left and it’ll lead you to the last test before you get to Prometheus.” With a dramatic twirl and colorful array of colors, the three of them turned back into flowers, disappearing into the earth without another word. 

“Shall we?” Lance said gesturing politely to the tunnel with a proud smile still on his face. “What?”

Unable to help himself, Keith was smiling wide at the boy. He had handled the situation so well and in a very Lance fashion. It reminded Keith that when you take away the pressure of the quest and the both of their fears weighing down on them, Lance had a really good personality and charm to him, something Keith wouldn't have pegged himself a fan of before really getting to know the boy. The more time he spent with him, the more he fell for him. “... Nothing,” Keith said, walking ahead of Lance and into the tunnel. 

They walked for about ten minutes, again the tunnel going deeper into the earth and getting colder step by step. Both boys were shivering now, their hands in their pockets to keep warm. Time pressure was still on their backs, the two of them having spent too much time fighting the army of earth monsters and the horae than they had anticipated. 

“I wonder how c-camp’s doing,” Lance said with a shiver. “Allura said that monster attacks had been increasing.”

“They’re strong, i’m sure they’ve h-held out till now,” Keith said. 

“I hope so.” Lance jumped a few times to try and warm up his body. “Know what i-i’d kill for right now? A warm bl-blanket, hot cocoa, and a nice movie.” Keith didn’t say anything. “Isn’t it the best to just curl up u-under some blankets and watch a lighthearted movie on a snowy, c-c-cold day? Especially when… you have someone beside you.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Keith replied. 

“Well you should find out,” Lance said. “Because it really is the b-best.”

Before Keith could even think of something to say back, panels in the tunnel walls opened to reveal the same machine in the first room. He should’ve reacted faster, but before he could duck or warn Lance, the machines shot out a strange, dark green gas directly into the faces of the two boys. They both coughed, the strange fog filling their lungs and body. It didn’t hurt, but it made Keith feel… uneasy. He hoped that whatever the gas was intended to do would be stopped by the position they drank, like with the first gas. 

“Are y-you okay?” Keith asked Lance once they stopped coughing. 

“... I don’t know. How d-” 

Suddenly, the boy's voice cut off, because he wasn’t there anymore. Or rather, Keith wasn’t there anymore. He found himself in a darker, smaller tunnel by himself, Lance nowhere in sight. It was quite, unnervingly so, Keith’s breath not even audible. It was like the tunnel was sucking out all light and sound. “Lance!” Keith called out, the name fortunately ringing through the tunnel. 

After a few beats of panic, a distant “Keith!” echoed back. Keith took off in the direction of the call, but he found that this tunnel broke into a lot more, creating a confusing maze. All of them looked the same, so he had no idea where he was going or if he’d been there before. “Keith, help!” Lance called out, his voice shrill and full of fear. Keith was sprinting now, his heart racing and his eyes wide with fear. 

“I’m coming, Lance!” He took turns like crazy, trying to get closer to Lance's voice, but it changed with each yell, coming from a different direction. Making Keith stop in his tracks from fear, he heard a scream from Lance. It was bloodcurdling, a sound that only came with intense pain. He was trying to make his body move, but he couldn’t. He was frozen. 

A shape materialized in front of him, black dust turning to the recognizable figure of his dad. Well, his fake dad. The scar on his eyebrow caught the existence light of the tunnel like it had that night in the woods all those years ago. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, his southern accent mixed with sternness and anger. He took a few steps near Keith, getting close to him and his face. “Didn’t i tell you not to get close to anyone? I told you not to trust anyone.” His voice was like venom, each word filled with hatred that weakened Keith from the inside out. “So what the hell are you doing with him.” He said the last word like it was vermont, the most disgusting thing he’s ever thought of. 

Keith opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He tried to run away from his dad and towards Lance but he couldn’t move his legs. As quickly as he appeared, Keith’s dad turned back into dust. That dust, however, turned into a more gruesome image. It was Lance, bloody and lifeless on the floor. The blue sparkle in his eyes were gone, now an empty shell staring unfocused past Keith. A small whimper came out of Keith at the sight. Lance… he was… and it was Keith’s fault. He hadn’t gotten to him quick enough. The dust shifted a bit, and now it was Shiro on the ground. His eyes were closed, but his skin was pale and his neck was twisted at an angle. Tears were filling Keith's eyes. The image shifted again. Now it was Allura. Then it was Chiron. It shifted to Hunk ad Pidge. Lastly it was hestia, her fire extinguished beside her lifeless body. It repeated, Lance making an appearance again, then shiro, and on and on. 

This isn’t real, Keith thought, taking a few steps back. This isn’t real. “This isn’t real,” he said aloud, his voice a whisper. It’s not real. He was running now. Running through turns, occasionally falling down. He wasn’t even sure where he was going now, he just knew that he had to get away. This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t r- oof.

Keith fell down hard on the ground. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the tunnel was bigger, lighter, and less ominous. He was back where he last saw Lance. Speaking of the boy, he was on the ground as well, and guessing from the fact he was rubbing his head, he probably was what Keith ran into. 

“Dude, you’re okay,” Keith breathed out, relief flooding his body. He was about to say more until he saw the look on his face. When he saw that Keith was there, he had winced, and now he was looking him up and down with both fear and suspicion. 

“Keith…?” He said after a few seconds. 

“Yeah,” he replied, “It’s me.” 

Lance seemed to relax, him letting out a sigh as well and standing up, offering Keith his hand and pulling him up as well. “What was that?” He asked. 

Keith thought. What were the two things he and Lance had to do to take down Prometheus. Find him, and get over their fears. Well, they found him, so Keith was guessing that that weird hallucination was meant to weaken them, to remind them of their fears and make them vulnerable. 

He explained this to Lance, and he agreed, so whatever he had seen must’ve been pretty bad as well. “It doesn’t matter, though,” Lance said, though still sounding a bit shook up. “We got this.” He looked ahead of Keith, and he turned to look as well. There was a rickety old door in the tunnel, looking out of place surrounded by so much earth and dirt. “And i’m guessing that Prometheus is right in that room.”

\--Lance’s P.O.V: 

Lance wasn’t digging this hole underground business, and the highly realistic hallucination tunnel made him never want to go underground again. 

One second he had been standing next to Keith, talking to him casually, and then he was in some small, dark and lonely smaller tunnel. The tunnel itself felt like something from a horror movie, and Lance was trying to convince himself that the weird maze like layout of it and the almost sound absorbing air was probably just a vision from that gas. But he couldn’t convince himself, even when the hallucinations started. 

Weirdly, Mason from camp was the first voice he heard. “Nothing but a floozy,” Lance heard in an echoey version of his voice. “He’ll be too busy making out with someone to get the quest done.”

“That’s not true,” Lance said, though it didn’t come out as confident as he’d hoped. “I’ve gotten this far.”

“And you won't get any farther, because you haven’t gotten over your fear.” Black dust swirled into the physical form of the boy now, his voice less echoey and more solid, making the hallucination agonizingly realistic. “Some cute boy comes along and makes you all confused. You get all defensive, you don’t listen to Allura or your mom, and you don’t get over your fear because of your big ego, and a little crush. After all, those are the only things that define you here at camp.” He snickered and it sent a chill through Lance. 

“I did get over my fear, though.”

Mason smirked. “Keep tellin’ yourself that.” 

The dust broke apart and reformed as Aphrodite, though that sad, gentle look on her face Lance had seen when they met, the one that made him consider the possibility that she does actually love him, was now replaced with a cold glare. “What kind of son of mine is scared of love? The only thing you’re known for at camp and you can’t even get over your fear of it.”

“I-” as soon as Lance opened his mouth, the smoke was reforming. The image it took had Lance paralyzed in his spot. It was all the members of his family he used to live with. They were dead on the ground, each sporting a different gruesome injury they obviously couldn’t live through. Their lifeless eyes stared at nothing and their cold, blue bodies laid on the floor with no energy.

The tunnel was still and dark. Nobody and nothing moved. Lance just looked down, no emotion on his face due to pure overload of senses and feelings. After what seemed like ages of this stillness, a plack emerged out of the ground. On it was the words ‘THIS IS BECAUSE OF YOU’ engraved in the dark stone, and with that, Lance realized that all the gory wounds were caused by monsters. Monsters that had come after Lance and decided his family was good enough to kill instead. It was the situation he’d been running away from his whole life, and now it was in front of him. It was getting harder to differentiate real life and hallucination. 

Slowly, Lance turned away from the site of the familiar forms so gone from life, and he was met with a new site. Keith was now in front of him, and for a second Lance was relieved to have him by his side again, and his heart also did that gross thing it always did whenever Lance looked at the boy, but after looking him over a bit more, that feeling went away. His face was stern and serious, his eyebrows knitted together in anger and the familiar spark to his eyes gone. 

“Did you really think i could love you?” he asked, each word stinging Lance. “You?” he added with a sneer. Lance didn’t say anything, because he didn’t have anything to say. All he could feel was a deep pit in his stomach weigh him down to the earth. Keith took a few steps towards Lance. “You’re nothing more than an egotistical, stupid, untalented aphrodite kid, and why would i even waste time on you. After this quest, i’m leaving, and if you thought i’d do otherwise than you’re delusional,” he said with a sneer. 

“But… you said-”

“I was lying, genius,” Keith said loudly. “What reason do i have for sticking around. You think i’d go back to camp just for you? Please, you mean nothing to me.”

“I…” Again, Lance didn’t have anything to say. If he had to pinpoint the specific time where his heart broke, he’d put it down to that moment. He knew why people called it heartbreak. He could almost feel his chest tear in two, his stomach churning and numbness spreading through his body. 

“You’re so infatuated with me it’s almost sad,” Keith said. “Get out of my sight.”

Not sure if he was obeying Keith or his own mind, Lance turned and ran fast. He made his way through the turns in the tunnel, no destination in sight. He could be trying to outrun his own emotions, just focusing on one foot in front of the other instead of that tear in his heart. He took a sharp turn and- clonk. 

He hit his head hard against something, and when he opened his eyes he was on the ground. The atmosphere and tunnel was back to normal, that darkness and quietness luckily gone. He breathed out a sigh of relief at being out of that nightmare, but then he looked up. Keith was on the ground as well, and Lance relieved every word he spoke to Lance only a few minutes ago. 

Lance winced, preparing himself for more harsh words, but then he saw the spark in Keith’s eyes. The calming light was back to them, and his face was back to normal; intimidating, but soft when you looked past the thick eyebrows and natural glare. This was the real Keith, Lances’ Keith, and the other, hallucination induced Keith, was gone. Still, Lance couldn’t wonder if the words he spoke were true. It was definitely a possibility, in fact, it was highly likely. He didn't even know what made him think for even a second that Keith could like him back.

That lead them to where they were now, Lance opening up the ominous door to a battle he definitely wasn’t prepared for. A battle that would determine the survival or perish of the gods and of the world. And after Keith explained the purpose for that gas and those hallucinations, Lance was realizing that maybe he wasn’t as far along as he should be in his whole get-over-his-biggest-fear task. Nothing he could do now, though. He just had to fight his hardest and hope his hardest was good enough to get through the battle. 

The two boys walked through the door in the earth and were met with a large cavern, one that definitely didn’t belong in florida. There were crystals growing from the rock walls and ceiling, ones of different colors and lengths. The earth alongside the dark rock was dark and damp looking. The cave should have been very humid and belonged in a warm environment, but the room was the coldest part of the tunnel they had been in. A blast of cold air hit Lances already freezing face when he walked in. 

The ceiling was high and the shape of the room slightly resembled the first room they had been in, though it was a bit bigger and darker. Some of the crystals glowed, creating colorful light in a dark room. If it wasn’t so cold and harboring a goddess kidnapped by a titan, it would be a very beautiful place. 

Cautiously, the two of them walked towards the center of the room, looking around for any sides of life. “...You two… you made it,” a weak voice sounded near the middle of the large room. Lance looked over to see the girl from his dream, long braids cascading down her dark skin, her young face holding more pain and years than you’d expect from the 12 year old she took the form. She was on her knees, her back slumped over in exhaustion. 

Both boys ran up to her, trying to get her up. “Eek!” Lance squealed when he tried to touch her. Previously invisible, blue bonds appeared around Hestia, binding her arms to her sides and her legs to the ground. The bonds were made from roaring fire, but it was blue and ice cold. He couldn’t even keep his hands on it for more than a few seconds until feeling a painful, cold feeling all through his body. 

“This must be why the tunnels are so cold,” Keith said, looking at hestia with worried eyes. She didn’t look good. 

“Where’s Prometheus?” Lance asked. 

“...Hurry,” Was all Hestia said, her face pale. Lance looked over at what she was looking at. On the ground just out of her reach were a few coals, black and burned out. There was no warmth coming from them and they looked extinguished for the most part. Lances heart fell at the sight and rushed over to the pile of coals. To his immense relief he could see a few flecks of fiery red deep within them, the life in them still present. Even if it was just a little bit, it was something. 

“I can’t get these off,” Keith growled angrily as he tried to get a grasp on the bonds. Not only were they excruciatingly cold to the touch, but they were comprised of fire and the boys couldn’t even physically hold it to try and get it off of Hestia. Keith continued to frantically swipe at the bonds, but every time his hand made contact, he winced in pain. Eventually he activated his sword and slashed at it. The blade just passed through the fire, damaging it in no way. Keith went to slash at it again. 

“That won't work,” a deep, chilling voice said. Lance heard footsteps, and he knew who it was and whose voice that belonged to, but weirdly he couldn’t bring himself to turn around. He stayed where he stood, listening to the footsteps increase with loudness as they got closer. “I’m impressed you two got this far. I didn’t expect you to survive my army back at the diner, let alone these trials. You two are pretty determined, i respect that. It’s a shame i have to kill you.”

Keith’s sword was still drawn, his eyes shooting daggers in Prometheus’s direction. Hestia was looking at the floor. Lance finally forced himself to turn himself around and face the final trial of this quest; the enemy he’d been destined to fight. Prometheus looked as he did in Lance’s dream: a finely tailored black suit, a towering stature and a mediterranean complexion. He had a long sword by his side, though it didn’t look like he intended on using it. It was held limply in his hand, and not with the same grip a real swordsman would hold their weapon with. Lance’s guess was that he was just trying to intimidate the boys, though he didn’t see them as a threat, and he probably was dependant on his army and henchman for all combat. 

By Prometheus’ side was Lecto, the wind nymph from back in tennessee. Lance wanted to kill her right then and there, and Keith was looking at her with a clamped jaw as well. She still had her waitress uniform on, her ear length blonde hair looking colorful under all the glowing crystals. 

For a few seconds, no one did nothing but look at eachother, assessing the situation and waiting for a first move to be made. Keith did the honors. “Let her go,” he growled. “You can’t win here.”

“Oh, can’t i?” Prometheus answered smugly. “I already have. All i have to do is get two small demigods out of the way and wait about… ten or so minutes until Hestia's fire goes out completely.”

Lance's heart jumped at those words. Only ten minutes? He tried to put on a confident face. They had to try. “Well let’s get along with it. All you have to do is get rid of us, so let’s start the fight.”

“Don’t you want to hear my plan first?” He asked. 

Keith took a few steps away from Hestia, standing next to Lance. “We already know your plan. Extinguish the fire, humans die and so do the gods when there’s no one left to believe in them. All the monsters and titans die as well. All mythology will be gone.”

Lecto gave a sceptical look at Prometheus, but he didn’t notice. “For the most part, yes. You got the ending wrong, though, and you’re missing a few pieces of information.” He took a few casual steps forward, again not showing the slightest bit of nerve in front of the two demigods, because why would he? “All monsters and titans won't die. At least not right away. We’ll live. We’ll rule the earth.”

“How? You won't even exist once the flame is gone and the people are dead,” Lance pointed out.

“Who says the humans will die right away?” He said. Lecto held out her palm, showing the two boys a few items in it. As they saw what they were, Lance saw Keith tense up. There were three necklaces, all of varying styles and colors, but the one linking factor was the bright orange glow in the center of each pendant. One of them was black, familiar, and old looking. It was Keith’s. “These are the only live, seperate parts of hestia fire in the world. The one at your camp is just her fire existing at a different place, but it still is her hearth. The necklaces, however, have more of a life of their own. They reflect the wearer, not Hestia’s hearth. Lecto did a good job in fetching them for me. With one of these, i can control the hearth, but i could do it my way. I’ll make sure humans slowly die, and i’ll fashion it so the gods die before the monsters. Us titans and monsters will rule as humans slowly die out. We’ll have decades of the rule we deserve.”

Lance was trying not to look panicked, but he wasn’t doing a very well job of it. This is what he was scared of, this is what he was worried would happen. There was no way to prepare for it, and now they had another thing to worry about it. 

“You’re not gonna get away with this,” Keith growled, nearly shaking with anger (or coldness. It was hard to tell) at the sight of his necklace in the enemy’s hands. His purple eyes were fiery and intense, his hair looking perfect even greased with sweat and dirt. He looked good. ‘Stop it,’ Lance told himself. ‘This is a high pressure situation; stop checking him out.’

“I haven’t even told you all of it yet,” Prometheus said. “You might want to save your anger for what i’m about to tell you. The first step to killing the gods is to kill the place where they get the most belief and prayers from. That’ll be the first big blow.”

Lance’s heart sunk, his eyes widening. “... You’re attacking Camp Half Blood.”

“My army will be there even before the flame blows out,” Prometheus said, “which should be about seven minutes now.”

“Lance,” Keith whispered. “What should we do?”

Lance couldn’t think. His home for the past four years, the place his best friends where, was about to be attacked by a giant army while they’re unsuspecting and unarmed. How could Keith be asking him what to do? Why would Lance know? They only have three minutes, oh gods oh gods. “I don’t- i- i don’t know,” he whispered back, frustrated and scared out of his mind. 

“Calm down,” Keith whispered back. He was scared as well, Lance could tell. “Think. What should we do? You’re the idea guy. I’m just the man power.”

“Okay. Okay,” Lance said, taking deep breaths. He’s the idea guy, he can do this. Prometheus was looking restless but wasn’t objecting to Keith and Lance whispering, again probably not seeing them as a threat. “First priority… get Hestia free. She can tend to her fire and the barriers at camp will get stronger, so not as much of the army can get through,” he said. “We can deal with the rest later.”

“I’m getting tired of this,” deadpanned Prometheus. He snapped, and tunnels opened around the walls of the room, exactly as they did in the first cavern. Monsters of different varieties swarmed the room, all of them equipped with weapons and looking menacing. “You told me to get the fight started, so here you go.”

Keith and Lance got ready for the fight, their weapons raised and their instincts yelling at them to charge. Keith gave a small nod to Lance, telling him that he understood. In a familiar sound that sent waves of adrenaline to Lance’s heart, Lecto snapped. The monsters in the cave, all three hundred or so of them surged forward, their only goal being kill the two boys in front of them. In response, the two of them leaped forward as well.

Lance was immediately swallowed into the monster crowd, his sights blocked by bodies and his ears hearing all the different hisses, growls, and battle cries of the diverse army. He slashed in swift, wide arcs, his bronze sword reflecting the crystals overhead and slicing monsters to dust. With a jolt, he realized that this is what his four years at camp had been preparing him for. All those agility classes and sword lessons, they all led up to this moment: a situation where it’s either fight or die. With this newly found realization flowing through his veins, Lance fought harder and faster. He wasn’t going to let four years straight of training go to waste.

Keith wasn’t far away. He was swarmed by monsters as well and had fought to the middle of the ground. He reached hestia, still restrained and kneeling on the ground over her almost extinguished fire, and tried to get her free. From his gasps of both pain and anger, Lance was guessing it wasn’t going very well. He made his way over to the boy, still slashing and shooting, and fought back to back with him. 

“We don’t have much time left,” Lance said.

“I know,” Keith replied. “What should we do?”

“Let’s kill this army first,” Lance began, “and then we get Prometheus to tell us how to get those bonds off.” 

“Okay. Time for our weird power thing?”

Keith nodded with a smirk that made Lance want to scream. “Time for our weird power thing.”

Lance covered Keith as he closed his eyes and did whatever Hades kid thing he had to do, digging his feet into the earth and taking deep breaths. After a few brief seconds of that, he opened his eyes with determination. He gave a quick nod to Lance and the two boys separated.

They fought at opposite sides of the room as they worked their two powers. “Why do you guys want to fight us when you can be killing each other instead? I’m sure you have lots of pent up anger for each other, so take it out on yourselves, not us!” Lance charmspeak, Keith emphasizing it and making Lances strong voice boom around the room.

It worked wonders, almost the entire army stopped for a second, looked at each other, and started to maul each other into the ground. And god's, Lance didn’t know monsters had this much drama. “You slept with my wife!” a monster called before jumping on another one. “You said i could eat that one guy but then you ate him!” another called out.

Keith and Lance swung, shot, charmspeak, and raised a small army of the dead to assist the monsters in dying. Suddenly, Lecto appeared. Prometheus must’ve sent her to stop Lance from charmspeak. She turned into a stormy gust of wind and would distract Lance like that, forming back to her physical form every few seconds to give a good punch to Lance. She gave an amused giggle to the boy. “I told you Prometheus had more planned,” she said. “And i gotta say, you two were very easy to con.” She went to transform into a gust of wind again, but Keith appeared behind her. He sliced her with his sword mid transformation, and she had been going to blow Lance off his feet, so she had been heading for the ground very fast. In response, the three pendants she held fell hard towards the ground when keith killed her. In an act of quick reflexes and agility, Lance managed to grab one of the pendants, the other two breaking once they crashed into the earth. Lance held his breath as he opened his palm. It was Keith’s necklace he managed to catch.

“I believe this is yours,” Lance said sarcastically, handing Keith the necklace.

The two went back to fighting, Lance making sure to keep the monsters under his hold. Being distracted with killing each other, the monsters didn’t even try and go after the two boys, so by the time the only monsters left standing were Keith’s army, the two of them only had minor cuts and scratches. The problem was that the two of them were tired. They had to fight and use their powers like never before, and it had worn them out. They used too much energy and they still had a titan to fight and a goddess to free.

The black coals at hestia’s feet still had specs of red in them, but they were practically microscopic at this point. The two boys caught their breath, standing in a field of monster dust. Prometheus was standing nearby. Lance noticed a flash of fear on his face, himm probably not have predicted them to get past the army. The look didn’t last long, though, he was immediately back to his smug smile. 

“I guess you beat my army,” he said, “but you do realize that you’re too late? The fire will be out in only five minutes, and you don’t know how to free hestia.” 

“We were hoping you’d tell us that,” Lance said. 

“Good luck with that.”

“We’ll get you to talk,” Keith said, his recovered pendant around his neck once more. 

Prometheus glanced at a weak and pale Hestia, then looked back at the demigods in front of him. “Bring it on.”

Together, Keith and Lance bound forward.

\---Allura’s P.O.V: 

Monsters were coming from left and right, the camp barricade not keeping any of them out. Surges of campers came out with their weapons held high and their armor sloppily strapped on. This sudden attack hadn’t allowed the campers any preparation, and the entire camp was messy and uncoordinated. 

Allura stared out at the battle ground with horror, campers laying on the ground with no signs of life. She shocked herself out of her unmoving state and sprinted towards the poseidon cabin. Out of breath and heart beating from nervousness, she swung open the door of the seafront looking cabin and made her way to the saltwater fountain at the end of the one story house. She reached into her pocket and fumbled for a golden drachma, which she threw into the fountain after saying the chant to Iris. “Takashi Shirogane, New Jersey.”

As she waited for the image in the fountain to connect to her friend, she looked at the old photos taped to the wall in front of him. They were polaroids of a handsome boy with black hair and green eyes with some other people. There were a few with him and a girl with blond hair and intensely grey eyes. Some had a boy with curly brown hair and black horns sprouting out of it along side them. One was a picture of seven people, all smiling and standing close together, The sun shining behind them and framing their figures. Allura recognized them as Percy Jackson, his girlfriend and best friend, and his other friends from the prophecy of seven. They were all off at college now, their lives inspiring Allura and giving her hope of having a normal life sometimes.

“Allura? Are you in the Poseidon cabin?” A familiar voice said.

“Oh, Shiro!” She said, being shocked back to her monster filled reality. “You have to come quick, the camp is under attack. Bring help!” 

“How bad is it?” He said, his bright face falling to sadness at Alluras news.

“Bad. We’re really overrun and the monsters don’t show any sign of stopping.”

“Keith and Lance?”

Allura let out all her worry at that moment. “No word. Do you… do you think they’re okay? Their deadlines’ today but it doesn’t look like things are getting better.”

“I’m sure they’re okay,” Shiro said, though in typical shiro tyle he seemed be only trying to cheer up Allura, his worry slighting showing through his mask. “Go fight, i’ll be there as quick as i can, and i’ll see what forces i can assemble.”

“Thank you,” Allura told him. The message cut out and the poseidon cabin was dark and slightly lonely yet again. 

Allura ran out of the cabin to join the fight. She took out the dual swords she had luckily kept handy and engaged in the fight taking place practically all around camp. She took down a few enemies, soon covered in golden monster dust. She spotted a few of her friends fighting nearby and silently cheered them on. Even with the campers working hard, they weren’t even making a dent. 

Spotting some campers standing still and looking shocked as she did at first, Allura marched forward towards them. “Snap out of it! You, go get some of your siblings and start an archery line with chiron, and treat any fallen campers you see” she yelled to an apollo camper. “And you, try and round up as many campers as you can and try to make this fight more organized,” she said to two scared looking athena and ares campers. They stood there for a few seconds. “Go!” Allura snapped, making all six of them scurry off to follow her directions.

She joined the fight again, wincing when she felt assortments of monsters scratch her unprotected body. She was running out of stamina and so where a lot of other campers. They couldn’t hold up for much longer. After getting in a heated fight with a gorgon, Allura found herself on the ground next to hestia's’ fire, the heart of camp. You couldn’t even see that it was lit without looking extremely closely. A once warm and welcoming beacon was now cold and dark. 

Allura thought of her two friends in Florida, maybe dead, maybe not. “C’mon, guys,” she urged in a broken, hopeless voice.

\---Lance’s P.O.V: 

Keith rushed forward with his sword held high, but Prometheus slapped him away like he was a fly. He had tried to grab at the pendant around Keith’s neck, but even while flying backwards, Keith managed to keep it out of his grasp. Lance went in and rolled through his legs, trying to slice as he went but not getting a good angle. He rushed over to Keith, who was getting back on his feet.

They’d only been fighting for a few minutes, but that was a lot of time on their schedule. The two boys were majorly tired. Using so much of their powers had worn them out, and though they hadn’t gotten major injuries from their battles today, all the minor scratches and big bruises were piling up. Meanwhile, Prometheus had abandoned his prop sword and was fighting with his bare hands. His tailored suit was still on and his neatly kept dark hair wasn’t out of place in the slightest. “We aren’t doing anything, he’s not even tired,” huffed Keith. “The only thing he has going for him is strength, how is he winning?”

He only has strength. Lance thought back to camp. He remembered the fight he and that aries kid, Mason, had gotten into. He had put Lance in a headlock because Lance attached too many times in a row. What he should have done was tire Mason out with his agility, as all his attempts to hit Lance, who was quick on his feet, would tire himself out, allowing for Lance to give the final blow.

“I know what to do,” replied Lance, the realization sinking in. “Can you raise another army? It’ll fight Prometheus as we catch out breath, making him use his strength and tiring him out while we prepare to take him out in one final blow.” 

“It’s a good plan, but I don’t think i have enough energy to control an army,” Keith responded.

Lance through for a few seconds. He thought of the prophecy, and how he and Keith meeting was supposed to determine their success. “You raise the dead, and i’ll control them by charmspeak,” he proposed. Prometheus was growing suspicious and agitated by the two demigods whispered conversation. 

“Will that even work?”

“You have a better plan?”

“Nope.”

“Then let's give it a shot.”

Keith nodded, looking Lance in his eyes for a few seconds. Dust covered most of him, sweat greased his hair, causing some of it to stick to his face, and small cuts littered his body, one on his cheekbone. The glowing lights from above framed his face in tints of green and purple. He looked amazing, even, or more so, in the midst of the battle of their lives. 

“Uh, yeah. Whenever you’re ready,” Lance said, breaking the eye contact and reminding himself they’re on a strict time limit. He leaped at Prometheus, who was looking away from the two boys. To distract him as Keith did his Hades stuff, he got Prometheus into a fish hook hold, wrapping his arm around the enemy and sticking his fingers inside his right cheek, craning his head at an uncomfortable angle. It worked for a few seconds, causing panic in Prometheus, as that hold was designed to do, but with his strength, he got out of the hold and knocked Lance to the ground, hard.

“Your fingers taste gross,” Prometheus said with a grimage. Lance struggled to get back onto his all fours, only for the titan above him to strike his elbow to the back of Lance’s neck.

The shock of the blow caused Lance to hit the ground again, gasping for air. His spine wasn’t broken, which was definitely good, but he felt numb in his back for a few seconds, causing panic alongside that choking, air blockage feeling. He was pretty sure Keith called out for him, and somewhere in the room he heard Lecto giggle, but Lance wasn’t really focused on what was going on. 

Lance tried to get up again, but he collapsed on the floor. Looking up a bit, he found that he was right next to Hestia. “Hey, uh, you guys are doing great,” he said to Lance, “But if you don’t free me in the next three minutes i’m going to die.” 

“Oh really? I wasn’t aware,” Lance groaned sarcastically. 

Nearby were the two boys back packs they had taken off before they fought that mob of monsters. Painfully, Lance made his way over to it. He stuck his hand inside and blindly searched for a plastic baggie. Once he found it he put a few squares of the ambrosia it contained into his mouth. As he swallowed more and more of the chocolate chip flavored food, the now bruised part of his neck Prometheus hit was becoming numb, and energy started to fill his paralyzed feeling body. 

Once his arms didn’t shake, he lifted himself off the ground with them to see Keith’s army rising out of the ground. There were more than 100 assorted ghosts, skeletons, and zombies, all staring blankly ahead. Lance didn’t understand why until he remembered the plan. With that, he looked at Keith, who was so tired he was practically swaying on his feet. He had used a lot of his powers in the course of one day, and their big battle had barely begun. 

“Sit down,” Lance said, rushing over to him and almost shoving him to the ground. “Eat this,” he constructed quickly, Prometheus having started to pick off the directionless dead. 

Gods, he hoped this would work. He’d feel more comfortable having Keith project his voice through the earth, giving more power to Lance's words, especially since the army was so big and, well, dead. But he had to have confidence, and if this quest has taught Lance anything, it’s that he and his powers shouldn't be dismissed. He was powerful, and this was his big moment. He’s an Aphrodite kid, and now his chance to make that mean something. 

“You all are probably so bored in the underworld,” Lance charmspoke. “Now’s your chance to get some fun in! Go attack that muscular guy in the suit!” Prometheus looked a bit flattered by what Lance said, but other than that he looked skeptical, unsure if Lance’s charmspeak would work. “How many chances do you all get to go to the surface and get out of the stuffy underworld? Well, now you’re out, so make the most of it and Attack. That. Man!” In his last few words, he thought of Keith, and his dark, dirty hair sticking to his face. He thought about how his lips felt on Lance’s. He thought about how those grey, almost purple eyes could change from looking so dark to the brightest thing in the room. He just thought of Keith, and with that, not one of army of the dead stood still. They launched into action, attacking Prometheus. 

Lance breathed a sigh of relief, watching g all of the army swarm their enemy, who was getting him overrun. After a few seconds he went back over to Keith, who was still sitting and chewing on ambrosia squares. “You alright?” Lance asked, kneeling next to him. 

“Yeah, just… tired,” Keith mumbled back. 

“I know, but you have to hold out. We just have to take Prometheus out and we’re homefree. We could go home, and remember, you promised to go swimming with me and i promised i'd recycle those water bottles outside,” Lance encouraged, feeling fleeting at the sight of his friend so worn out. “Just hold on, okay?”

Keith looked at Lance, meeting his eyes. “Okay,” he said back, that Keith determination filling those eyes Lance loved.

Lance continued to charmspeak the army from where he sat with Keith, making sure it didn’t wear off. He was even able to charmspeak some of the fallen skeletons to put themselves back together and get to fighting. He would never have been able to do something like this before the quest. In this moment, when he was charmspeaking, Lance felt like himself, like he and his power were free. He had always loved his ability to charmspeak, but before this quest, there was always a burden to it. He always had the hatred of his mother tying him down, his power being not fully embraced in a sense. But now Lance was realizing that he didn’t have that weight anymore. He was forgiving his mother, and it felt good.

Prometheus’s confidence was gone, his face a vision of frustration and anger at the neverending army swarming him. Their plan was working. “We don’t have much time left,” Keith said, “We need to hit him now.”

“Good, because i don’t think i can charmspeak much more.”

“That hit you took was… really bad,” Keith said, putting a hand firmly on Lance's shoulder. “You okay?”

Lance looked at his hand. “I am now,” he mumbled. 

“What?”

“What? Nothing. Shut up,” Lance spit out. 

Keith looked offended for a few seconds but quickly got over it. He stood up and Lance followed, getting ready to fight again. Lance glanced over at Hesia, who was looking panicked and unwell. “Three minutes,” she warned again. 

“Ready?” Lance asked Keith. 

“Mhm. Let’s finish this.”

“It’s been great fighting with you,” Lance said, hoping that this wasn’t the end, hoping that they would make it through one more battle. 

“You too,” Keith said, emotion uncharacteristically in his voice.

Lance sighed, looking back at Prometheus. “Stop!” he charmspeak, Keith’s army halting where they stood. “Good job, you can go back home now.” Prometheus watched skeptically as Ghosts floated away, through the walls, and the skeletons and zombies fell to the ground and sunk through the dirt and out of sight. And then there four: Keith, Lance, Prometheus, and Hestia.

“I’m still not telling you,” Prometeus said, his hair and suite tousled, his eyes crazy and his nose bleeding. “I’m still standing!”

“Who said we were finished?” Keith said. 

Prometheus gave out a bark like laugh. “Give me your worst!”

He didn’t need to ask twice. The two demigods advanced quickly, fighting as a unison. Keith went to slice at his chest, but Prometheus sidestepped. In doing so he backed up into Lance, who gave a wide slash to the titans side. He roared out, more in anger than pain. He punched Keith, who was closer to him than Lance, unfortunately hitting him in the nose. Lance winced when he heard a crack and a yell from Keith, whose nose was now broken. 

Lance turned the titans attention back to him, cliping him with bullets, only slightly though, as to not kill him but to slow him down. Keith regained his sense and slashed Prometheus behind the knees with his knife. He hit the knife out of Keith's hands, but because of the magic sheath his friends had made him, Keith’s knife just reappeared there, and he was still holding his sword, anyway.

“Two can play at that game,” Prometheus said. He quickly reached into the inside pocket of his suit and took out two small daggers. Faster than he could process, he turned around and shanked Lance in the shoulder. The boy cried out in pain, hoping that ambrosia he took earlier would heal the wound fast. 

“A minute and a half,” Hestia called out, her voice cracking with fear.

He tried to go at Lance again, but the son of Aphrodite was ready this time. He reminded himself that he’s the best swordsman at camp, and that this would be easy. He blocked the danger with his bronze gladius, resistance holding between the two weapons. Even though he was tired, he was stronger than Lance, and he would win if Lance didn’t make a movie soon, so he did. In a difficult move it took him years to master, Lance disarmed Prometheus by wrapping the top of his sword around the hilt of the dagger, the weapon falling to the ground before Prometheus could even process what was happening.

The titan groaned in frustration. He slashed Lance across the forehead with the dagger in his other hand, and Lance fell backwards. He went to attack Lance, who was scrambling to get off the ground, but then Keith was on the Prometheus’ back. He had him in a chokehold, and since Keith was off the ground, Prometheus couldn’t get out of the hold by kicking at his attackers legs. Lance shot at the enemy, hitting the dagger out of his hands with intense accuracy, making sure he didn’t cut Keith.

“You… Can’t win…” Prometheus choked out. “I have an army… underworld monsters… they almost got you the first time.”

“It took minutes for them to form in the underworld,” Lanc at the ree said. “And i’m guessing you don’t have them ready to go, because you didn’t even expect us to make it past these underground trials. They won’t be here in time.”

Prometheus was trying to shake Keith off, but he was too tired. He would probably pry Keith’s arms off his neck but whenever he reached up to try, Lance clipped him with bullets. 

“Give up!” Keith shouted.

“The god deserve to die!” He said back. “They’re heartless, they’re cruel!”

“You’re the one willing to wipe out all the humans just to settle a grudge,” Lance pointed out. “I wouldn’t call them the cruel ones.

“Less than a minute,” Hestia warned, her illness worsened.

They had to get Prometheus down, and now. Lance could easily shoot him in the heart, but with Keith holding onto him there was a big chance he’d shoot him as well. The two boys made eye contact, as if they were thinking the same thing. Lance nodded his head up and lifted up his eyebrows, wordlessly sharing the plan. Keith nodded back. 

“I’ve already won,” Prometheus laughed. “Even if i die and can’t control the fire, your camp will still perish alongside all humans and gods.”

“Not on our watch,” Lance said. He looked at Keith. “Now!”

Keith kicked Prometheus in the back, using the momentum to vault himself in the air, over Prometheus. In the spil second window he had, Lance shot the titan in the chest. On the way down from the fall, Keith kicked him in the face, finally sending Prometheus falling to the ground. He hit it with a crash, launch landing next to him.

Lance ran over, pointing his sword hilt at the titans throat. “Tell us how to free hestia!” he screamed. “Now! It’s over!”

Prometheus coughed up blood, breathing heavily. Then he started laughing. “Yeah, it’s over for you. I’m not telling you anything.”

Lance dug the sword into his shoulder, twisting it to inflict pain. “Tell us!”

“Go to Hades,” Prometheus choked out.

Lance dug his sword slightly into Prometheus’s chest, trying to cause as much pain as possible. In a fast movement, Prometheus grabbed the hilt of the sword and shoved it down deeber, making it hit his heart. He gasped and coughed up more blood before looking Lance in the eye and grinning as his body turned to dust. He was gone. He was dead. 

“Oh gods, what do we do?” Lance asked Keith, the two of them rushing over to Hestia.

“Th-thirty seconds,” she said weakly. 

“Keith what do we do?” but the boy was just looking at the goddess with wide eyes, as clueless as Lance. “We’ve come too far, we can’t- we can’t lose!” He was getting emotional, tears of frustration stinging his eyes.

“I- i don’t-,” Keith stuttered out, his eyes glued to the goddess in front of them.

Lance had never felt this hopeless before. He never felt this angry before. This quest was supposed to be his destiny. How is coming all this way only to lose at the last possible second his destiny? He needed this. This was supposed to be his last step to get over his fear, but now, because of him, the world would end. His friends at Camp were probably already dead. It was over.

Interrupting Lance’s thoughts, Hestia mumbled something. 

“What?” Lance asked desperately, bringing his ear up to her mouth

“Prophecy…” She whispered to him weakly.

“Uh, uh. ‘Their fears will spread and end the fire.’ What does that- what does that mean? How did our fears cause the fire to go out?” Lance gasped. “It’s not talking about hestia's fire. It’s talking about her bonds.”

“What?” Keith asked

“The bonds! We have to get them off using our fears,” Lance said. 

“How do we do that?”

Lance thought about all the advice they’ve gotten over this quest, all the things that’ve happened. Aphrodite personally came to tell Lance that he needed to get over his fear. He had to do that by admitting he liked Keith. Keith’s fear is love as well. The two have come so far, from hating each other to… He knew what he had to do. He felt his heart drop. This could ruin everything between them. He might lose Keith as a friend. It could ruin everything. He had to do it. This was the whole point of the quest. This is why he and Keith meeting was so important. This is their destiny.

Keith was looking at Lance, fear in his eyes. “Lance, what do we do?” he whispered. “Lance-”

“I love you,” Lance said.

“...i-” 

“I love you. In a romantic way not a friend way. I tried hating you. This whole quest i’ve tried running away from my feelings, because i’m scared of love.” Lance was crying now, this whole situation, this whole quest exhausting him. As he talked, he prepared for the worst, for Keith to hate him, for this not to work and for Hestia to die, but he already started, he had to do this. It’s his destiny. “I- i love you, Keith. Like, the sort of love that makes you crazy. I love you more than i’ve ever loved anyone in this way.” 

Lance glanced over and saw the blue fire binding Hestia was growing thinner. The room automatically got warmer. Keith noticed it as well. His eyes were wide, looking at Lance, there were tears in them. For a second the two of them forgot about the quest, and the fact that in a few seconds everything would be over. 

“Me too,” Keith whispered, making Lances head snap to look at him, this answer unexpected and defeating so many of Lance’s fears and worries. There was emotion to Keith’s voice, and Lance knew that he could say more, but he didn’t need to. Those two words were all he needed to speak. They were all Lance needed. Those two words made Lance’s stars shine bright. They made his world revolve. They were all Keith needed to say. 

Lance let out a sort of relieved, tearful laugh. Without a second to spare and not even thinking much at this point, he leaned in quickly, taking Keith’s lips in his. Keith put his arms around Lance’s neck, retaliating with all he had. It seemed like the glowing crystals grew more colorful. The room was warmer. All the pain and tiredness the boys felt were gone, because the only thing that mattered was that they were with each other. 

The kiss was much more different than the one in that dwarf house. This was real. It was deep. The first kiss had just scraped the surface, this one was loving. It was desperate. It was warm. They were practically on top of eachother. It wasn’t sad or longing, like the first one was, because both the boys were free. In only a few words the two of them let go of the things that had been tormenting them for so long. For years. This kiss, it was love.

The two separated, looking at each other with so much clarity, with no more secrets. With love. After a few seconds Lance cleared his throat, looking over at Hestia, who was kneeling over her cold, dead coals. 

“Shouldn’t you be lighting that?” Lance asked nervously, his fluttering heart falling.

“It’s dead,” the goddess whispered back.

“It’s… No,” Keith said, a bit of blush still left on his cheeks but the atmosphere of the kiss being crushed so suddenly. “It can’t be. Can’t you just light it again?”

“There’s no life to it. There’s nothing left to it,” she said, staring at the coals at her feet. “It’s… over.” The three sat there. On the ground a few feet away a flower, a beautiful lavender one, shriveled, it’s color turning dark and the light and life leaving it. “It’s over,” the goddess whispered again, her life gone with her fire.

“This can’t’ve been for nothing,” Lance said, bitter at the gods, bitter at his mother again, even bitter at the goddess sitting in front of him. “We came all this way!” his voice echoed across the otherwise still room.

“You’re not dead,” Keith deadpanned, tilting his head.

“Huh?” Lance replied. Oh my gods he kissed Keith, he just remembered. 

“Hestia, you’re not dead. When your fire goes out you should be dead.”

“I’m… not dead,” she agreed, tearing her eyes away from her coals to look at Keith. 

“What does that mean?” Keith asked.

“There must be some bit of my fire left somewhere,” Hestia said, her eyes large. “We have to find it soon, or else it’ll burn out without my heart li-”

“Ah!” Keith said, realizing something. He quickly pulled at the pendant at his neck, breaking the chain in one swift movement. It was his necklace, that’s what had kept hestia and her fire alive.

“Give it here!” Hestia gasped. Keith handed it over, him and Lance watching the goddess with nervous intensity. She placed the necklace and it’s chain on her coals. She closed her eyes and hovered her hands over it. She took a few deep breaths and the boys watched her face strai, her eyebrows knit together and her hands shaking slightly. The fire in the pendant, previously dimming and not as bright as it used to be, now looked like it wanted to escape, orange and red tints dancing in the glass. The room was growing warmer. That nearby flower seemed to gain a bit of its color back. In one movement, Hestia shot her hands up, and with it came the fire. It broke free of the pendant and was swirling up, blue, pink, and purple tints among the reds and oranges. It was warmth, it was light. Hestia was laughing out in relief and happiness, her color and liveliness back, her eyes welcoming and warm.

Keith and Lance were looking up at it in wonder. This was their quest, this was what all of this was meant for. Keith turned his head and looked at Lance, his eyes bright and his face a vision of happiness, an emotion that looked great on the boy. Unexpectedly, he leaned in and kissed Lance, the colors framing their face. The fire even got a bit warmer as they embraced. Lance was laughing into the kiss, his hands on Keith’s back and the two clinging to each other like they might be pulled apart. 

“Sorry about that,” Keith blushed to the goddess after they seperated.

“Sorry? Don’t be sorry. ‘That’ is what saved the world. It’s what saved my life. ‘That’ is what i’ve been waiting for ever since your father introduced me to you,” She said to Keith.

Lance started laughing, tired, kind of crazy laughter. “We did it,” he told Keith. “The quest is over and we did it!” 

“You did it,” Keith said. “You’re the idea guy. I was just the dude there for you to confess your love to,” he joked.

“You were a part of this as much as i was. Hestia just said, this was meant for us since we were kid- Shit! We have to get back to camp,” Lance remembered, the hecticness of the situation making him forget what was happening.

“I can get you back there,” Hestia offered quickly, “but are you two ready for another fight?”

“We’ll have to be,” Keith said. “Can you help in any way?” 

“I’ll see what i can do when you two get there. Are you ready?” She asked.

“Wait wait!” Lance said. This was a dire situation, but he couldn’t help but let out a relieved smile. “I left two plastic water bottles in the sand on the beach. Can you make sure they get recycled for me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :'''''''))) that ending had me crying in the club tbh, i've had that ending planned b4 i even had the whole fic planned out and i've been waiting so long to write it, i hope u guys enjoyed it as much as i did!!!! Also, reminder that there still is one more chapter left in this story. I'll have it out as soon as i can, 3 weeks tops.
> 
> PLEASE!!! comment!!! comments are what i thrive on and an and all feedback makes me die with joy. Leave me an ask on my tumblr (Lanceisthebest) about the story!! and please leave kudos and bookmark/subscribe so you can catch the final chapter of this story :)
> 
> this chapter really means a lot to me and i could go into a whole thing about it, but you'll get my closing, sappy remarks after next chapter :) see you soon


	7. The World was Roaring for Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the boys back at camp, they have to fight to save it. 
> 
> The two of them go through the motions of their new relationship, discovering what they were now and having to adjust to the changes.
> 
> In the last chapter of this story, the boys see how much they've changed since the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter!!! I looooved writing this one. It;s a bit different from the rest because it's kinda told in fragments and scenes instead of a few longer scenes.
> 
> btw, my spell check wasn't working for the last few pages and i'm very bad at spelling, so pls ignore any misspelled stuff. Enjoy the Last! Chapter! of this Fic!!!!

\---Keith’s P.O.V: 

Uh… Did all of that just happen? Keith and Lance had just defeated Prometheus, but forget about that for a second. He and Lance kissed. Lance said he loved Keith, and then Lance kissed him. Then, after the fire was restored Keith kissed him again. Honestly, he didn’t even care much about defeating Prometheus and saving the world, bla bla bla, he and Lance actually kissed.

Those were just some of the things Keith was thinking as he and Lance were transported to Camp Half Blood. Hestia’s fires have connections, and she was sending the two through that, somehow. The journey probably lasted shorter than a second, but it felt like they were moving through molasses. It was hard to explain what Keith saw or felt as he traveled, but the closest metaphor he could think of was driving through a never ending tunnel. He looked to his left and saw a shadowy but recognizable figure of Lance. He looked just as in thought as Keith was.

He also looked like shit. Keith would be lying if he said that they came out of the battle unscathed. Keith had been thrown around the room a few times by prometheus, plus he obtained varying cuts of different depths from the two armies he had to face. Lance had a big, nasty bruise on the back of his neck, where prometheus had elbowed him. He also had a shallow stab wound in his shoulder. Both of them were covered in grime, dirt, and grease, just to put the icing on top of the cake. They were also tired beyond all belief. They had been fighting in those tunnels for a few hours and had used a lot of their powers. Not to mention their extremely tired mental state after having to fight the most important, world saving battle of their life. Oh, also Camp Half Blood, Lances home for the past four years and Keith's new, fresh start, was under attack and possibly already gone. That wasn’t the happiest thing to think about. So, in conclusion, they weren’t exactly the epitome of health in that moment, but it didn’t matter. They still had to suck it up for one more battle.

Keith wished he’d had a bit of warning, but in the span of a second he went from traveling through the molasses, car-traveling-through-a-tunnel like fire connection to standing in the middle of a battle. He and Lance appeared right next to the heart of the camp, which was luckily roaring with life again. Keith saw that the barriers of camp had been restored and no more monsters could get in, but there were still lots of monsters inside camp and not many people to fend them off.

It took the two boys a few second to digest their new surroundings and the situation it went along with. “Should we.. just jump into the battle?” Keith asked. 

“Oh my gods!” Sounded a familiar voice. Allura was sprinting towards the two of them. She looked a bit battered up but not injured too bad. “You guys are okay! What happened?”

“It’s… a long story,” Lance said, glancing over at Keith. “We’re here now, though. How can we help?”

“I ordered around some people. Apollo kids are taking the injured out of the field and setting up an archery line. Aries and Athena kids are working together create some strategic flanks. Aphrodite cabin were setting up distractions and luring the monsters to the archery line last time i checked. Oh, and shiro just arrived with a group of demigods. Just find somewhere to help and start fighting.”

“Where’s Pidge and Hunk?” Lance asked.

“Pidge is helping with battle strategy and Hunk is setting up traps with the one remaining Hermes kid.”

“Alright,” Lance said. “Good job here, we’ll meet up later.”

“Good to have you two back,” she said before running off to join the battle again.

“Let’s go,” Keith said, ready to do the same. 

The two of them ran off to the closest crowd of monsters. There was a young giant and a few monster groupies around him. Keith ran to the giant, activating his sword as he did so. He ran underneath his legs and slashed at his calves with his duel blades as he did so. The giant was about to swat at Keith but Lance charmspeaked him to sleep. He fell over and crushed a few of his monster groupies. Lance took out the rest. 

“One group down, like thirty more to go,” Lance sighed.

“We should split up. You fight over there, me over here,” Keith proposed. Lance nodded and they seperated. 

Keith vaulted, rolled and sliced at any monster in sight. It was strange how that adrenaline came right back. A few minutes ago, Keith was worn out and didn’t think he could go through another battle, but right when his sword hit that giant, the energy was back and he was ready for another battle. In Fact, he was fighting a bit better than usual. He felt faster, more agile. He was slightly aware of some campers watching him fight, but he ignore them. 

Keith took a break to look at lance - and what the Hades? He was glowing. Not the type of ‘glowing’ you tell women they look like when they’re pregnant, but like, physically emitting light. There was a sort of copper aura around him, and he seemed to be a bit faster and stronger as well. Keith looked down at himself and saw that same aura around him as well. He was so distracted that a monster was able to hit Keith with it’s claws, but nothing happened. The monster just bounced off him, as if he was made of metal. That’s when he realised that this was Hestia's doing. She’s a peaceful goddess and wouldn’t join the fight, but she could help the two boys out. This was her blessing.

More confident now, Keith continued to fight. He embraced the power and sliced and jumped at monsters and saved campers that were overrun. Lance must’ve noticed the blessing as well and he was doing the same. After an unmeasured amount of time of fighting, He and Lance joined up. They had taken out a lot of monsters and the glow was now fading, the blessing wearing off. Though they had made a big dent in the enemy’s army, there were still a lot of monsters.

“Camp is majorly spread thin. We can’t win this unless we take a great deal of monsters out at once. Let me raise an army,” Keith said.

“No,” Lance replied immediately. “You’re too tired. You could really hurt yourself.”

“Then i’ll raise them and you can control them.” 

“It’ll still take too much power! The amount of energy it would take to raise an army big enough to take out this army would be too much.”

“So? We need to save cam-”

“I’m not going to risk losing you right after we got through this quest!” Lance yelled, cutting him off. “Not after we just…” Lance trailed off, the end of that sentance not needing to be finished. 

“I can do this,” Keith said. “I need to do this. I chose to save this camp once, and i’ll make that same choice again.” Lance still looked hesitant and a bit scared. Keith put his hand on the boys shoulder. “I can do this,” he repeated, looking into his eyes.

Lance looked at him for a few seconds, then kissed Keith’s check quickly and suddenly. “Yo, apollo kid,” he whistled over to a boy standing closeby. “Follow Keith. He’s gonna do something stupid, then he’ll pass out. Make sure you get him to safety when he does that.”

The apollo kid didn’t look very pleased with being a traveling nurse, especially since the person he was tasked to follow was a Hades kid, but he obliged anyway. Keith ran up to the hill where the last battle took place. The crack in the ground where he raised an army a week ago was still there, and reopening in would take less power than creating a new opening to the underworld. 

Being atop the hill, he was able to see how many monsters were on the campgrounds, and it was a lot. Among those monsters, he saw campers laying on the ground, the apollo cabin struggling to quickly assess injuries. He also saw demigods being faced with large monsters they were not qualified to fight. Even after restoring hestia's fire and saving the world, Keith didn’t feel accomplished. This camp, it was his new world, it was his new home, and if they were too late to save it, in Keiths mind that was a failure. He told lance he could do this and not hurt himself, but he may have to go back on his word. 

Keith pressed his feet into the grass, feeling the dirt under his shoes. He took all that he learned on the quest and put it towards this one thing. He’d learned not to fuel his powers on rage alone, to instead use the earth and his parentage. He had also learned what a healthy amount of anger and secrecy was, and in this case, using some anger to fuel him in addition to connecting to the earth, was needed. He used the anger of his still secreted past. He used the anger of how he was first treated at camp. He didn’t let the anger overwelm him, but he let it motivate him.

In only a few seconds, the crack in the ground reopened, though now doubling in size, and floods of spirits, skeletons and zombies came out. It was more than he’d ever summoned. Not only in number, but in power as well. His army was more syncranized and strong than any of his others had been. Though they were preocupied with thier own fights, some campers gave worried glances up the hill at Keith, as he’d later learned that he had been screaming as he summoned them. He fell to his knees but didn’t pass out, not yet. He extended the crack in the hill to travel all over camp, though not hitting any campers. He opened the cracks and more underworld creatures rosee, now all over camp. There were now demons and stronger creatures among his army, though they were under his control. This was the most power he’d ever used at once, and in his tired state he didn’t know how it would affect him in the long run, but the important thing is that he did what he had to. He helped camp. 

Keith’s drooping eyes fell on Lance, who was down the hill. He looked proud, but also worried. Worried for Keith, who was starting to feel a weird fading, transitional feeling, like he was traveling quickly through a cold to warm climate. Shit, maybe he had used too much power. Lance would definitely be pissed at him. Didn’t matter, though, he wouldn’t stay mad for long. 

As Keith looked out at his army, who had formed a strong, killing machine, he knew he couldn’t stay awake any longer. He toppled over and hoped that he would wake up after this. He hoped he’d be fine for lance, who was much cuter when he wasn’t worried or angry. But, again, he wouldn’t stay mad for long.

\---Lance’s P.O.V: 

Lance watched as Keith fell from his knees fully to the ground. The apollo kid that had been tasked with keeping him safe was hesitantly dragging him to the infirmary. Keith really didn’t look good. Still, Lance had a task; he couldn’t worry about that right now. He’d totally kill Keith if- when... When he woke up.

The many monsters Keith summoned were still fighting, but they were starting to look confused without their instructions. Now it was Lance's turn to use his powers. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loud enough to hail a taxi a mile away. In the moment of silence that earned him, Lance took control. 

“Underworld army! This is your chance to fight! You’ve been hauled up in the underworld for quite some time, if i’m correct. Get your opportunities worth and fight this fight! Kill any monsters but each other and the friendly ones. If you see a monster about to attack a demigod, take the monster out. Use your opportunity out of that literal hell hole and protect our camp!”

Lances charmspeak may have been a bit too powerful, as the demigods fighting seemed to get a new wave of motivation upon hearing his words. Lance watched as the army of demons, spirits, zombies, and skeletons spread all over camp, saving demigods and killing monsters. There was actually starting to be a dent in the enemy army. 

Lance was feeling woozy and sick after charmspeaking so powerfully, but he kept going, urging on Keith’s army and making sure they were fighting strong and hard. Lance saw how many campers were unconscious at the infirmary, and it was troubling, but at least they were out of the field. Lance was worried about his friends, as he hadn’t seen them in a while. He saw Allura when they first arrived, and he had seen his other friends amongst the crowds as he was fighting.

It reached the point where Lance couldn’t charmspeak anymore. He had used way too much power, and he just couldn’t get the energy. As Keith's army jumped back into the underworld after not receiving any commands, Lance resulted to something that didn’t take up as much energy but he was still very good at: fighting. He rushed onto the battlefield with his sword and gun in hand and jumped right in. 

He had to ignore the pain in his shoulder, neck, and… everywhere, as he went. Lance knew he was near collapsing, but he used his last bit of energy to do this. As he slashed at one monster he shot another one. As he lept off of giants’ heads he’s shoot in mid air to take out a whole cluster of enemies. He remembered what he thought about back at the underground system, about how these battles were what he was trained for. His whole life at camp, all those years, was getting him ready for this. He had wanted people to see him for more than an aphrodite child, and they were watching him now. But Lance wasn’t more than an Aphrodite child, because that’s what he was. A son of love, just one who’s good at fighting.

Lance turned around and stabbed a monster, it’s hissing body turning to dust. He was about to move onto the next one, but there weren’t any monsters left. They were all gone, all dead, and the entire camp, or the people still on their feet at least, we're looking at Lance. They were all quiet and looked a bit startruck. He saw that he had made his way to Half Blood Hill, where Keith had collapsed. It was a good place to make a little announcement. 

“Me and Keith succeeded on our quest,” Lance announced, his voice steady and confident despite Lance actually being in pain and full of exhaustion. “We freed Hestia and she was able to start her fire again. I understand that you all are weary of Keith’s place in this camp, but he’s staying. He’s chosen time and time again to save this place at his own expense, even when you all have been nothing but disrespectful to him. You saw it now. This was the second time he’s saved Camp Half Blood… and he might have seriously injured himself in the process, so if any of you have a problem with him staying, you’ll need to get through me before kicking him out.”

“-saw him fucking kiss him. I knew he couldn’t do this quest without hooking up with someone,” a familiar and angering voice snickered. Mason, the Aries kid that wasn’t very fond of Lance, was amongst the crowd talking to his friend very non-descreely. 

“Hey, Mason? How’s that cheek healing up?” Lance asked, indicating to the large cut on the side of his face, something Lance had given to him in a fist fight a week back. That one comment shut up the Aries son, putting a quite hilariously surprised look on his face. 

“Camp is safe,” Lance continued on, putting his attention back to the whole crowd. “That’s thanks to the efforts of Keith and I. Camp is safe again. Our home is safe again.” The boy couldn’t help but smile. The quest was over, he was home.

Lances friends ran forward from the crowd and engulfed him in a big hug. Shiro was smiling up at him from down the hill. Chiron, who had a boy slung across his shoulder, gave a big nod up at Lance. The rest of the campers seemed to simultaneously let out a big smile and sigh, taking comfort in their restored safety. As his friends led him down the hill, their arms around his shoulders and all of them laughing and smiling, Lance took a big sigh as well. His home was back, and he was back home.

\---Keith’s P.O.V: 

Keith’s eyes started to open slowly, his vision blurry and his body tired. There was quiet, raspy talking between a few people in the room; the kind of talking that came with late nights. Keith looked at the ceiling, and knew just from the wood panels that he was in the big house. It was night out, as there was little light in the room but a few lanterns, emitting a comfortable warm glow. The whole atmosphere was very warm. There were a few people in the room. Pidge and Hunk were sitting next to each other on the bed to Keith’s right, Allura was sitting in a chair near the foot of Keith’s bed, and Lance was in a chair right next to Keith. He was close, one elbow propped on Keiths’ bed, just lightly touching his shoulder. All four of them talked in that quiet, tired, voice Keith heard when he woke up. 

“The Aries cabin were being dicks,” Pidge said. 

“Language,” Allura intervened. 

“Well, they were,” Pidge responded. “They didn’t even help clean up camp. They’re supposed to be the manpower. Instead they left the demeter cabin to lug all the monster dust away.”

“Masons’ just pissed at me and is taking it out on camp,” Lance said. His voice was grovely and tired sounding. He had some bags under his eyes and would tiredly put his head in his hand every few seconds. “Doesn’t matter, though. He’s only cabin leader because Jeremy left after the first battle, but he called and said he’s coming back.” 

“That’s good,” Allura said. “I never liked Mason.”

“I don’t think any one in camp likes him,” Hunk said, “Especially after you shut him up on the hill after the battle.”

“That was pretty badass,” Pidge said. 

 

“Language,” Allura said. “... but yes, it was pretty badass.”

“Oh, please,” Lance smirked, “Everything I do is badass.”

“You? Badass?” Keith said, finally opening his mouth and alerting the bunch that he was awake. He felt similiar to his state after the first battle at camp, only a few days after he’d arived. He felt like every even small movement he made took up all the energy he had. Even talking took extreme effort. His voice sounded more tired and grovely than his friends’. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“You’re awake!” Allura said. Hunk and pidge took a few steps closer to Keith, smiles on their faces. Lance turned so he was facing Keith. 

“How do you feel?” Lance asked.

“Like death,” Keith responded. “How long was i out?”

“Five days,” Lance replied, his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. “We couldn’t even feel your pulse for the first day. You were basically dead.”

“Oops,” Keith said. 

Lance was looking at him with a few different emotions on his face. He of course looked happy and relieved that Keith was awake, but also looked like he wanted to punch him in the face. He also looked like he wanted to kiss him, which Keith would gladly welcome. 

“What happened after i passed out?” Keith asked. 

“Lance commanded your army for a while, which was super awesome,” Hunk said enthusiastically. “Then he went in and killed like half of the enemy himself. After that, he gave a big speech to the entire camp about how you were staying and how camps’ safe again.”

Keith thought for a few seconds. “Not to be a downer, but i’m in the big house, not the infirmary. That means they still don’t want me around, right?”

“Not in the slightest,” Lance said. “A few people with minor injuries actually offered to give their bed in the infirmary to you. We just wanted to give you star treatment, so Chiron let you stay here.”

“So… i can stay?” Keith asked, the idea of this place being his home still feeling unreal.

“You can stay,” Lance said with a warm smile. Keith looked up at the boy and smiled as well, their eyes meeting in that nothing-in-the-world-matters-except-us kind of way. It reminded Keith of their kiss in the underground cavern, the one surrounded by spiraling, warm fire. 

Apparently, Keith wasn’t the only on in the room who got those vibes. “Hunk, Pidge, let’s go see if there’s anything around camp we can help clean up,” Allura said.

“It’s like three a.m,” Hunk said. 

“I said ‘let’s go’,” Allura said again through gritted teeth.

“Jeez, fine,” Pidge said. “See ya around, Keith.”

The door closed as the three of them left Lance and Keith alone together. It was the first time since the big kiss that they were alone and had time to relax. They couldn’t let awkwardness come between them when they were fighting a battle, but now it was starting to creep in. 

“So… what did you say in your big speech?” Keith asked. 

“Hunk pretty much covered it all,” Lance responded. “I gave my whole spiel about how we succeeded on the quest and that camp will be fine. I also told them that without you, they’d be dead, and that that was the second time you saved them. Just wanted to remind them of that, and i think they remembered it as they’re being pretty welcoming.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, i did.”

“...Thank you,” Keith said, feeling warm at the fact that he had a person willing to stick up for him. That person being Lance made him feel even better. 

“You’re a jerk, you know that?” Lance said. “You could of died. You said you’d take it easy.”

“I had to save camp,” Keith said. “How much would it have sucked to go through this whole quest only to fail in the end? There was a place and people worth saving here, so my health wasn’t really my priority. And i’m okay now, so why does it matter?”

“It just… wasn’t exactly fun to be sitting here for five days wondering if you were gonna die after all we’ve been through,” Lance said, his voice still raspy and his eyes distant.

“I know,” Keith said, flipping the situation and putting himself in Lance’s shoes, “I’m sorry, i’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Good,” Lance said smugly, a small smile on his lips. 

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, the sound of a crackling fireplace adding white noise to the background. Lance’s elbow was still right next to Keith, and neither of them seemed intent on moving away from each other.

“The prophecy worked out pretty interestingly, huh,” Keith said, breaking the silence. 

“Yeah,” Lance agreed. “‘Despite the hardships, they’ll end the liar.’ I guess that turned out to be Lecto.”

“I didn’t expect that,” Keith said. “And, um, ‘their fears will spread and destroy the fire,’ turned out to be us, uh, admitting our fears and… moving past them, which destroyed hestia's’ bonds, which were made out of fire.” 

“‘On this journey one thing will be crucial, it’s the meeting of the dark and the beautiful.’ That could mean a bunch of stuff,” Lance said. “Us using our combined power, or us… getting over our fears together.” 

The two looked at eachother, their eyes locked and Keith now very aware of Lance’s elbow touching him. The warm glow of the fire and the lanterns framed Lance’s structured face and made his eyes look dark and intense. 

“What… are we now?” Lance finally asked. “What’s next for us?”

“I really like you,” Keith half blurted out. “Sorry, that sounded aggressive and weird, i’m super tired right now. But, i do… really like you. I don’t think i could go back to just being friends with you. Now after what happened in the cavern.”

“Me neither,” Lance replied, smiling a bit, maybe out of relief. “Screw friendship.”

“Yeah, who needs it anyway?” Keith joked. The two laughed for a few seconds, but the atmosphere went right back to being filled with uncertainty. “So… are we, you know, dating or something?”

“Can we really be dating if we’ve never been on a date before?”

“The quest was basically one week long date,” Keith pointed out.

“Oh my gods, you’re right. I guess we’re dating. Or something.”

The two of them were silent for a few minutes, not really sure what to do or say. Finally, Keith broke. “Wanna make out?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” 

\---Lance’s P.O.V: 

Finally, some time to relax after a week long, emotionally and physically exhausting quest. NOT. Lance still had to deal with cleanup at camp, and his stabbed shoulder and bruised neck hurting like hell, oh, and the fact that his and Keith’s relationships was super weird and unclear, which was exactly what Lance had feared. Well, Lance had feared that Keith would spit in his face and tell Lance that he’s revolting and that he ruined their friendship… but this was still really annoying. 

To add to that, Lances’ friends, especially Allura, were pestering him madly to get to the end of his and Keith’s relationship. Maybe Allura shared her Lance-has-a-crush-on-Keith scepticism with the rest of them, as all of them were giving him side eyes and asking what went on with them on the quest and if they were a couple now. But Lance doesn’t know! It was kind of established when Keith woke up, that the two of them were ‘dating,’ but what does that mean? What does that entail? Were they the kind of PDA dating, or like were they gonna go on a physical date kind of dating? If he and Keith were walking and Lance took his hand, would Keith freak out? Ugh, This was literally the worst thing ever.

Well, there was also the whole Keith-was-basically-dead thing, which was pretty bad. Nevermind, it was horrible. Lance stayed at his bedside for five straight days. Allura had to come and change the bandages on his shoulder right there. Lance didn’t even shower, and he slept only two or three hours a night. The worst day was the first, when Keith literally didn’t have a pulse. In any other case, he would’ve been declared dead, but Lance knew to hold on just a bit longer, holding onto hope that his dead state just a Hades thing. He was right in the end and Keith got his pulse back the next day, but it was scary; it was awful. After going on such a big, long journey with Keith, the thought of him just dying… Lance couldn’t bear it. Especially after they had just kissed and confessed their love and whatnot. Those five days were some of the worst in Lance’s life.

He woke up though, and he was talking and eating and he definitely could still work those lips, which was, uh, besides the point, but he was fine. Camp was fine, and Keith was fine, and the quest was completed. You know, maybe Lance did have some time to rela-

“What’re you doing?” Pidge asked Lance.

“Uh, walking back to my cabin so i can sleep?” Lance answered, his feet dragging in dirt as he took each tired step.

“Why?”

“Because in the past five days i’ve only slept like ten hours, tops.”

“Why?” Hunk asked

“Because- jesus, where did you come from?” Lance asked, swearing that Hunk was nowhere in sight a few seconds ago.

“Answer the question,” Hunk deadpanned. 

“Because i was with Keith,” Lance exhaled angrily. 

“Why?”

“Because he- because we’re-,” Lance stuttered out.

“You’re what?” Allura asked. 

“Where do you all keep coming from!?” exclaimed Lance, keeping his eyes forward and his legs moving.

“Boyfriends? Friends? Brothers? Homies?” 

Pidge smirked. “Fuck buddies?” 

“Okay, stop!” Lance yelled, halting in place and nearly causing his friends, who were practically climbing on top of him, to fall over. “I clearly am not in the mood to talk about it! You know what we could talk about instead? Oh, i don’t know, maybe my awesome, world saving, epic quest that i just got back from. Hello!? I have a jacked up ankle that i broke on the quest! Do you not care how i got that on my adventures?!” 

“Yeah Yeah, rabid furries gave it to you or something, you already told us. Now, these adventures, the adventures that you went on together with Keith, who is your…?” 

“Goodnight!” Lance exclaimed, walking onto the porch of the Aphrodite cabin. 

“It’s like six a.m,” Hunk pointed out. 

“I said ‘goodnight’!” Without another word Lance entered his cabin and slammed the door shut. Forgetting that it was, in fact, six a.m, Lance woke up a cabin full of sleeping Aphrodite kids by accident. “... Oh, sorry guys.”

“Lance?” Adeline asked sleepily, her long black hair falling into her face as she sat up. “Where have you been? We’ve barely seen you since you got back.” Lances’ two other sisters and two brothers were starting to wake up as well.

“I’ve, uh, been with Keith. He woke up, he’s doing pretty good,” Lance said, getting ready for another chorus of ‘are you two together?’s.

“Oh, cool. Glad to hear it,” Adeline replied, surprisingly. “Anyway, tell us about the quest!”

Lance could have cried in relief. Finally, some people who were more concerned with the emotionally and physically exhausting quest he went on instead of his love life. And this was coming from the Aphrodite cabin, which was even more surprising. They must be happy to finally have one of their own go on a quest. Lance wasn’t the only one who was tired of the stereotyping and demeaning of the Aphrodite cabin, and they were just as thrilled as Lance was to have campers think of the cabin as more than a place to go to for makeup tips and dating advice.

Even though it was early and the Aphrodite cabin was full of yawns and eye rubs, Lance told them stories from the quest for an hour. He was loving all the reactions of “The snake had two heads?” and “You met mom?” and “Furries? And you charmspeaked them?” and lances personal favorite, “You killed a fucking hydra? And then drank it’s boiled head?” 

He finally got to the end of the fight with Prometheus, which he hadn’t even told his friends about in full detail, despite their pestering. “Woah, plot twist,” Lisa said. “You told him you loved him?”

“Yeah, then we kissed… in a cave” Lance said. The cabin was full of excitement, as they were, afterall, Aphrodite kids. Lance smilled with them. “I mean, it worked. Those bonds, the fire the prophecy was talking about, broke and Hestia was free.” He told them the rest of the story, finishing it off with them getting back to camp, as the campers knew the rest of the story from then.

“Wow, i would never have been able to go on that quest,” Jamie confessed. 

“Yeah, i guess i’m just that amazing,” Lance joked. “But honestly, it wasn’t as fun as it sounded. I was basically forced to confront my deepest, darkest fear that i’ve had for more than four years. I also got stabbed, and i broke my ankle, and i was hit in the spine by a titan.”

“I dunno, still sounds pretty cool.”

“So, what about you and Keith?” Lisa asked, though not in an intrusive way.

Lance sighed deeply. “I really don’t know. We kind of talked about it and agreed that we definitely had feelings beyond friendship.”

“Well, you both confessed your love and made out mid-battle, so i’d hope so.”

“You’ve got a point. I just...i don’t know. We’re ‘dating’ or whatever, but for some reason i haven't told my friends about any of this. I don’t know why, but if i don’t want to tell them doesn't that mean that… maybe me and Keith shouldn’t be dating?”

“Lance, you’re probably the smartest person in this cabin, but right now you’re being super dumb,” Adeline deadpanned.

“She’s right,” Jamie laughed. 

“How?” Lance asked, slightly offended.

“It’s because of what Mason said. You’ve obviously gotten much more comfortable with mom and being an Aphrodite kid on your quest, which is great, but i think you’re still worrying about camp stereotypes. You want people to be proud of your quest and you want it to be the talk of camp, and you’re scared that if you and Keith publically date it’ll overshadow your glory and they’re be like ‘such an aphrodite kid, going on a quest and coming back with a boyfriend.’”

“Newsflash, idiot,” Lisa cut in, “Your quest was amazing and i still think you’re lying about some of the stuff you did because it was so cool. You having a boyfriend isn’t going to change people from thinking you’re hot shit. And by the way, you haven’t noticed, but people are talking about your quest. Your friends have been telling everyone the stories about it and people are talking about you and Keith like you’re gods. You two saved camp, of course people will talk about it.”

“Geez, when did you guys become therapists?” Lance asked.

“Our mother is basically the goddess of emotions, we were just born with it.”

“Where are you going?” Jamie asked Lance, who was climbing out of his bunk. 

“You guys are totally right. I’ll be back later. Thank you, therapists!” He said, shutting the door to the cabin and making his way to the strawberry patch. Gods, he really wish he slept. Sleeping was literally the only reason he went to his cabin, and he was even more tired than when he first got there. 

“Hey, Lance,” Hunk said, noticing him first. Allura and Pidge looked up at him. Pidge and Hunk were sitting on the table eating berries out of the bins that Allura was filling. 

“We’re dating! Okay?!” Lance said, out of breath. He hadn’t run there, he was just not in the best physical shape. Gods, he needed a nap. “Me and Keith. We’re dating! We kissed like three times on the quest and made out for like a half n’ hour after you guys left. I didn’t want to tell you guys because i didn’t want anyone focusing on that instead of my big quest. You happy now?”

The four of them were blinking blankley at him, until pidge broke the silence. “Aw, look at Lance, telling us his feelings instead of resulting to passive aggression. That quest really did change you.”

“You’re impossible,” Lance nervously laughed out. He sat down in between Hunk and Pidge and plunged his hand into the berry bin.

“I’m not one to gloat,” Allura began, “but i was totally right.”

“Yeah, you were. Sorry for blowing up at you. That was old passive aggressive Lance,” Lance said.

“You’re not gonna apologize to the rest of us? You blew up at us like an hour ago,” Pidge said. 

“Can you blame me? I just almost died like five times to save camp on my big, life changing quest, and the only thing that you all cared about was my dating life.”

“That’s because your ‘big, life changing quest’ is old news to us,” Hunk said. “We already know you’re a great fighter and that you’re capable of a lot, so we aren’t really surprised by your quest. It doesn’t mean that we don’t care, hell, i’ve been telling my cabin all about the stuff you and Keith fought-”

“Same here,” Pidge and Allura added.

“-but you shaking up with the brooding Hades kid that you absolutely hated a week ago, that’s new. Especially since before this quest you were always ‘oh bla bla bla dating is stupid just because i’m an aphrodite kid doesn’t mean i date all the time i just flirt for fun bla bla bla.’”

“Hunk, you are being very mean right now,” Lance joked. 

“Just being honest, bro.”

“I guess you guys are right. Seriously, when did everyone in this camp become therapists? Did you guys take psychology classes when i was gone or something?”

\--------------------

“Mason is still throwing a hissy fit. He tried to start some sort of riot against me at the dining pavilion and i was like ‘what are you hoping to accomplish. Do you want me to go and unsave camp or something?’” Lance told Keith, who was still stuck in bed at the big house. Lance was in a chair next to the boys bed, his back against Keith’s shoulder and his feet propped up on a nearby nightstand. Lance had been doing this the past few days: getting his work and chores done, then stopping in to hang with keith and bring him up to speed with what was happening around camp half blood.

“What’re you gonna do about him?” Keith asked, his voice a bit mumbled. He usually fell asleep about an hour into Lance’s visits.

“Nothing. I’ll just let him tire himself out. Nobody, not even some of his cabin members, have shown any interest in joining him.” Lance yawned. It was pretty late at night. “Besides, it’s pretty funny. Everytime he stands up to try and get people riled up, Pidge just shouts ‘shut up, mason,’ and he’s too flustered to say anything else.”

Keith laughed that one laugh that made his eyes crinkle at the sides, the one that Lance loved. “I wish i could see it.”

“There’s no reason you can’t,” Lance reminded him. “I could bring you out, you’re healthy enough to walk around for an hour or two.”

“Uh, no. I’ll wait a bit longer.” There it was. Everytime Lance mentioned Keith’s recovery he got all weird and shut out. It was like a time machine to early-quest Keith.

“Why?”

“I just… i’ll heal for a bit longer. Don’t wanna injure myself anymore, do i?”

“I guess not,” Lance said, deciding not to pry anymore. He changed the topic. “I think my mom appeared in my dream last night.”

“What? Why are you just bringing this up?”

“I wasn’t really anything substantial. I was dreaming of that beach again, the one in florida, only now it was all sunny and happy again, and on it was my mom. All she did was smile at me and nod, and then she was justs gone. I think she was telling me ‘good job’ or something.”

“That’s good,” Keith said. “You still on good terms with her?”

Lance turned around to face Keith. “Yeah… i think. I’m definitely on better terms with her than i was before this quest. Her turning up to speak to us and showing up in my dreams twice, that’s a lot more contact from my godly parent than most demigods here get. So, yeah, i think i’m cool with her.”

“I liked her,” Keith said. “She’s pretty caring, for a goddess.”

“At first i was all annoyed that she was trying to meddle in my love life or whatever, but she was the one who kinda slapped me across the face and said ‘get over your fear, bitch,’ and that saved the world, so… Also, it was kinda nice to have a mother to meddle in my love life. I felt like someone with… i don't know, normal parents.”

“Can’t relate to that,” Keith joked. “Talking about gods, have you heard anything from Hestia recently? Do you know if she’s alright?”

“Yeah, i’ve seen her a few times.”

“What?” Keith asked, suddenly having more energy.

“She’s always at camp. At night, go to the heart of the camp and if you focus enough you’ll see her sitting there. Why?”

“I just… have some questions i wanna ask her,” Keith said simply.

“Well, you know, if you wanna ask them you have to leave this house.”

There it was, that hesitant, uncomfortable look. “Maybe tomorrow night.”

“What do you wanna ask her?”

“Some stuff about my dad. Both Hades and my fake dad, or whoever that guy is,” he sighed. 

“Where are you with the whole Hades thing?” Lance asked hesitantly. “Like, are you okay with it?”

Keith relaxed against his pillows and thought for a few seconds. “Am i okay with being a child of Hades? Yes. Do i like him, though? Definitely not.”

“That’s more than fair,” Lance commented. He leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet on top of Keiths lap. Keith casually rested his hand on Lance’s knee, as if this was an everyday thing they’d been doing for years.

“I just kinda wish he showed up in some shape or form during the quest. Like, ‘oh, my only son is on a deadly quest to save the world, maybe i should step in a bit. Nope, he seems fine, i’ll leave it alone.’”

Lance laughed slightly. “Not exactly the best father.”

“I think all the gods need a lesson on parenting. Maybe all of us hundreds or thousands of demigods should go to family therapy with them. Where could we find a room big enough?”

“Maybe olympus? It’s close by. It’s just right over the empire state building,” Lance mentioned.

“What? In New York City? You’re messing with me, right?”

“Nope. I’ve been there. Fun fact: after the titan war a few years back one of our own campers redesigned all of olympus.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. She also went through a bunch of trials and uncovered that huge ass statue of Athena. Oh, she also is one of two demigods to travel through all of Tartarus and survive. The other was her boyfriend, that Percy Jackson dude i’m sure you’ve heard of.”

“Damn,” Keith said after a yawn. “And all we did was make out in a cave.”

Lance didn’t know why, probably because both of them were extremely tired, but he started cracking up at that. And by cracking up, he meant the kind of cracking up where you’re crying and your stomach hurts. Soon, Keith joined in and the both of them were practically howling with laughter. “When-when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound very cool, does it,” Lance managed to say. “Ow ow ow, it hurts to laugh. I forgot i broke my rib,” he laughed out. 

The door of the big house opened abruptly. “Are you guys dying? I can hear you all the way from the dining pavilion,” Shiro said, looking tired. 

“Shiro? When did you get here?” Keith asked. 

“I’ve been in and out the past few days,” Shiro said. “Chiron said i could stay here for a while, i just had to go tie up some loose ends.”

“You’re staying?”

“It’s what we agreed on, right?”

Keith smiled. “Yeah. Good to have you here.”

“I’ll be in the Hermes cabin if you need me. I’ll just… leave you two be,” He said, leaving and shutting the door behind him. Lance could swear Shiro winked at him.

“It’s cool that he’s here,” Lance told keith. “He usually just pops in every once in a while. It’ll be good to have him here a bit longer.”

“Mhm,” Keith said. “I do feel a bit bad, though. He’s done a lot for me and i feel like he’s changing around his whole life just for me.”

“You’re being a bit arrogant, bud,” Lance joked. “If he’s here, it’s because he wants to be here. This is his home as well, and i’m sure you being here influenced him a bit, but he likes it here as much as any of us do.”

“Yeah,” Keith exhaled. “You’re probably right.”

Lance laughed a bit, not being able to help himself. Keith raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “It’s just… i was talking to my friends earlier and pidge said ‘look at Lance, telling us his feelings instead of resulting to passive aggression,’ and then she told me how much the quest changed me. I think that applies to both of us. In this one conversation we’ve talked about our private feelings and resolved them like big boys when a week ago we’d both be all bruting and secretive.”

“We both were really pains in the ass, weren’t we?”

“You can say that again.” Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, resting in comfortable silence. “I should leave you to get some sleep. You can barely keep your eyes open, and honestly i can’t either.”

Lance stood up to leave, but Keith caught his hand. “You can… stay, if you want. Sleep here.”

Lance smiles slightly. He dropped Keith’s hand and slid the nearby bed next to Keith’s after moving the chair and nightstand out of the way. Once the lamps were blown out and windows were closed Lance plopped onto the bed with a dramatic grunt. “This feels like a throwback to the quest.”

“Except we aren’t in a car or tent and we both aren’t emotionally repressed.”

“True.”

The two began to drift off to sleep after that. Lance was on his stomach with his arm resting against Keith, who was lying on his back. The longer they stayed there, the more they started to lean on each other and touch, slowly getting used to having the other next to them. After a few minutes, Lances’ head was fully on Keith’s shoulder and he was wondering why he was ever afraid of awkwardness or overstepping in this new relationship.

\---Keith’s P.O.V: 

“Rise and shine!” a voice bellowed. 

“Go away,” a different voice mumbled. Oh yeah, Lance was next to him. 

“Lance, you have chores, and your cabin is wondering where you are.” Keith looked up to see Pidge leaning in the doorway. 

“I’ll be up in five minutes,” Lance mumbled. He was face down in the pillow next to Keith’s with his arm around Keith’s waist. 

“If you fall back asleep, i will not hesitate to jump on you.”

“Mkay,” Lance said, not even opening his eyes. Pidge rolled her eyes and shut the door on her way out. Lance rolled over to face the ceiling and groaned. “I don’t want to get uuuuuuup,” He moaned, his arm still around Keith. 

“Go do your chores,” Keith yawned.

“Nah,” Lance replied simply, bringing his arm tighter around Keith, brining the two closer together. 

Keith laughed a bit. “You can come back later.”

“Why don’t you just come with me? You can do chores with my cabin.”

Keith tensed up. “I think i’ll just go back to sleep for a bit longer.”

“Okay, i didn’t ask last night but now i’m tired and have no filter. Why don’t you want to leave the big house?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Keith lied. 

“Man, just last night i praised you for not being all brooding anymore. Don’t go back to emo Keith. He’s not fun.”

“I’m… not going back to ‘emo-Keith’... i never was ‘emo-Keith.’”

“Yes, you were,” Lance said, finally kicking off his sheets and getting up. “I’ll come around and bring you some dinner later. Think about it, because something’s up, and you’ll get nowhere by refusing to talk about it.”

“It’s too early for this,” Keith groaned, rolling over in his bed. 

“Hey, can i borrow a shirt of yours?” Lance asked. 

“You’re gonna accuse me of being emo and then ask for my shirt?” Keith asked.

“Yeah, i slept in mine and it’s all dirty. I don’t have time to go to my cabin and get a new one.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “They put my laundry in that drawer over there. Take your pic.”

Lance pulled off his blue long sleeve shirt and put his arms through one of Keith’s old band t-shirts he got at a thrift shop. He sloppily pulled it over his head, messing up his hair, then put his sneakers on. He quickly kissed Keith on the forehead, said a quick “see ya,” and then he  
was out the door.

“... Well, now what am i supposed to do all day?” Keith said. “I’m literally talking to myself right now.” 

\------------

“I think Lance is mad at me,” Keith told shiro. After Keith went back to sleep for a few hours, Shiro showed up to bring him lunch and chat for a bit. Keith had managed to get up and sit in the chair opposite his bed while Shiro sat at a chair nearby. “Not so much mad, but maybe disappointed? It’s annoying, and it’s making me feel bad. Gods, is this a relationship thing? Is this how all people in relationships feel?”

Shiro scoffed. “Why’s he ‘disappointed’?”

“He accused me of being all non-confrontational and ‘emo’ again, like i was before the quest.”

“Well, are you?” 

“In general, no. About one specific thing, maybe a little…” 

“Why?”

“I dunno. I guess it’s just kinda stupid, and Lance has already been taking care of me for a week and i don’t wanna push my problems on him,” Keith sighed. 

“If it’s stupid, tell Lance about it so that he can tell you if it is or isn’t stupid and it’ll put your mind to rest. As for the second part, i’m not an expert but i can tell you this: If you are being all secretive and weird, Lance might think that it’s about him, like he did something wrong, especially if he directly asked you about it. He might think you’re not happy in the relationship or something. If you don’t wanna burden him with this, not telling him or being all secretive, is still burdening him, so i’d just tell him.”

“Yeah, you have some good points,” Keith admitted. “You’re always so spot on that it’s annoying.”

“Many people, including Lance, have told me that exact same thing,” Shiro said with a small laugh. “Are you gonna tell me what this mystery problem is?”

“Nah,” Keith said simply. “You wouldn’t get it.”

“Way to be bleak,” Shiro responded, though not looking offended in anyway. 

For about an hour the two of them made casual chat, talking about things that had happened in the period they were apart and just talking about life in general. It felt like exactly what it was: two old friends catching up. 

Having Shiro here at camp made Keith feel more at Home. It was simply because Shiro would always be his home.  
\-------------------

“You know, you’re supposed to scrape some of that into the fire,” Lance pointed out as he and Keith ate dinner together.

“I don’t care. What has my dad ever done for me?”

“Jesus, i don’t know how you’re still alive with that attitude towards the gods,” Lance laughed out, an impressed looking smile on his face. 

“Didn’t you curse out your mom on the quest?” Keith pointed out with an eyebrow raised.

“... Not really. I just told her that she’d never be my mom and that she never once did anything good for me. We’re cool now, though.” Keith chuckled at that for a few seconds as Lance just looked at him, a fond emotion in his eyes. 

“... You were right,” Keith brough up after a few minutes of eating, “I was being ‘emo’ about something. I… I don’t want to leave the big house because i think i’m still scared of the people at camp rejecting me.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” Lance said, moving a bit closer to Keith’s bed. “I told you, the people at camp are fine with you here. They actually even like you now.”

“I know, i know, but my whole big fear was of love, and more deeply, rejection. This whole situation is kinda set up for me to be rejected, and i think i’m trying to postpone even that possibility.” Keith sat up in his bed and sat on the edge of it. Lance moved and sat next to him on it, making the bed dip from his weight. A bit hesitant, he put his arm around Keith, and Keith leaned into the touch. He rested his head on Lance’s warm chest, weirdly feeling both vulnerable and protected at the same time.

“What Allura told you was true. People at camp were scared because their home was in danger. They needed someone to blame, and when you were claimed as the son of Hades that was a not historically adored event here, so people jumped on you to pour their fears out. It wasn’t right, and those people definitely should’ve thought about how you’d feel before they did that, but that’s all it was.” Lance’s chest vibrated as he talked, which was calming to keith, who felt ever breath and heartbeat. “I know you’re scared, and rightfully so, but you just have to rip the bandage off and get out there.”

“I know,” Keith sighed. “I think i just need a little push to get that bandage off.” 

“Then i’ll be it. Let's go to the dining pavilion right now.”

“You being serious?”

“Mhm, i’ll sit at your table with you.”

“... Alright,” Keith said, smiling despite being a bit nervous. “What are you doing?” Lance was slicking Keith’s hair back and combing it through his fingers obsessively. 

“You haven’t showered in a week. Don’t you want to look presentable?”

“Gods, you’re such an Aphrodite kid.”

A few minutes later and the two of them were out the door, Keith’s stomach churning in both anxiousness and nervousness. He felt physically okay for the most part, despite feeling dizzy every now and again. As they got closer and closer to the dining pavilion, laughing voices and plates clattering could be heard. It smelled of sweet smoke, the burnt offerings to the gods, and warm lights lit the dark night. Lance was making jokes and talking about his day to get Keith’s mind off the campers that hated him only a week ago, the campers he was about to face, and Keith appreciate that, but it wasn’t working very well.

They finally made it to the pavillion, and as Keith feared there were a lot of people staring at him. The talking shushed a bit and heads turned as Lance brought Keith over to his table. When Lance sat down at the lonely Hades table, Keith saw Chiron give him a glare. Lance made a few facial gestures back, to which Chiron loudly sighed at and then he turned his head away. Keith didn’t get their mental conversation but he was guessing chiron was making an acception on the sit-at-your-own-table rule. 

“I told you,” Keith whispered. “They’re all staring.”

“That’s because you saved camp in a super cool way and have been in the healing for more than a week. They’re just surprised to see you, that’s all.” To Keith’s relief, talking started to pick up after a few seconds and heads began to look away. 

“What, so death boy over here gets special treatment?” a voice said. Mason stood up, and now everyone was looking at him. “He’s allowed to sit with his little boyfriend because he summoned some monsters? The only thing he did was open a portal to the underworld right here in camp! They could probably come back through the opening he made, but we’re rewarding him? I say we sh-”

“Sit down, Mason,” Pidge's voice called from the Athena table.

“I- but- He’s-” 

“Just sit down, buddy,” Lance smirked.

“You don’t get t-”

“Oh my gods, Mason, just shut up!” Pidge called again. 

“You just- All of you…” and with that, his face red in anger, Mason slowly sunk back into his bench. A few snickers of laughter filled the pavilion until talking full on started again, as if nothing happened.

“I told you it’s funny when Pidge does that,” Lance told Keith. 

“Okay, that was pretty funny,” Keith admitted, trying to hold back a smirk. Keith placed his hand atop of Lance’s on the table after a bit of hesitation. 

“Careful, Keith. You’re showing physical affection in a public place,” Lance joked. “Isn’t that, like, against your morals? ”

“You know, you are literally the worst,” Keith laughed out, glad to have Lance with him.

“Hey, Keith,” A voice said. He looked up to see Damien, the Apollo cabin leader, standing at the Hades table. He placed a plate full of food in front of Keith. “Me and the rest of the Apollo cabin wanted to say… thanks. For, you know, saving camp like three times.”

“Thanks,” Keith said sincerely, surprised by the act of kindness. 

“No problem. I’d give a plate to Lance, but he only saved camp two times,” Damien joked. 

“Whatever,” Lance said. “I’ll totally beat your cabins’ ass at sword fighting tomorrow.” Damien laughed, said a quick ‘later,’ and went back to his table.

“See?” Lance asked. “You had nothing to worry about.”

\----------------------------

“-and that’s how i killed the minotaur with only a paperclip and a subway gift card,” Lance finished his story on the way back from dinner. 

 

“That’s the most bullshit thing i’ve ever-” Keith stopped short when he saw the person he’d been thinking of for a week. “I, uh, i’ll catch up with you later.”

Lance nodded, understanding the situation. “I’ll be in the Aphrodite cabin.” He gave Keith’s arm a slight rub and walked away as Keith walked towards the fire at the center of camp.

The air grew warmer and more comfortable as he took each step closer, a reflection of the hearth and what it stood for. It reminded him of the feeling he got when he held is old necklaces pendant, the necklace he didn’t have anymore. 

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Hestia said. She was sitting with her legs crossed next to her fire. She looked much better than she did the last time Keith saw her. The warmth and color was back to her complection, and so was her small, permanent smile.

“Sorry for the hold up,” Keith apologized, “but i’m here now.” He sat down alongside her. 

“You came through for me. You and lance both, as i knew you would.”

“You know, you could have approached me in a better way about this. Popping in for a few seconds and saying ‘hey, i know you have a home for the first time in your life, but you need to find some trees and save me right now because your dad wants it,’ wasn’t very nice,” Keith said, finally speaking the words that had been piled up on him for the entirety of the quest. 

“I know, and i’m sorry,” Hestia replied, looking genuine. “At that point i was already captured and i didn’t have much time to talk. I didn’t want to pull you away from your home, but i knew that this quest would be good for you. I knew you’d find a home here.”

“And my father?”

“I wasn’t lying. Your father knew you’d do this quest someday, and he told me early on to get you when the time was right.”

“But where is he now?!” Keith exclaimed. “And which of my fathers do you know? My godly one or the one who gave me up? You told me i’d find answers here, but it seems all i’ve gotten are new questions.”

“You’ll find out soon-” 

“Well, i’ve been waiting long enough.”

“If you’d’ve waited three more seconds i’d tell you something you want to hear,” Hestia chuckled. “You really are impatient.”

“What?”

“I can’t tell you about your past, but i know how you can find out about it. There’s a woman who lives in New Mexico, her name is Nari. In due time, sometime soon, camp will need something from her. Get on that quest, and bring Lance. When you get what you need from her, she’ll also tell you about your past.”

“So, i have to go on a whole nother quest just to find this out?” Keith asked, an eyebrow raised and his heart racing. 

“Are you telling me you didn’t like the quest you just went on?”

Keith thought back to it. He thought back to the break it was from fighting alone and scared. He thought of Lance, his new friend. The quest was certainly hard and emotionally it took a toll on him, but it was like a breath of fresh air, and he certainly got some good stories from it. “No, i’m not saying that.”

“Good,” Hestia said, “Because your journey isn’t over yet.”

“You gods just can’t give me a break, can you?”

“That would be uncharacteristic of us,” Hestia joked. “But know that you have gods on your side. Contrary to what you might think, a lot of us up there like you. You and Lance have been quite the talk of olympus.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Keith began, starting to get riled up again. “Where the hell were the rest of the gods while me and Lance were on that quest? The only god that even slightly intervened was Aphrodite, so where were the rest of them when the world was ending?”

“They didn’t want to get involved,” Hestia answered simply. 

“‘Didn’t want to get involved’? The whole point of the quest was that Prometheus was trying to kill Camp Half Blood and the entire world just to get back at the gods! They were already pretty ‘involved’ to begin with.” 

“If the gods had taken a roll in the fight against Prometheus, it would’ve angered the other Titans that are alive today. It could have sparked another titan war, like the one Percy Jackson had a destined role in. That war was devastating and they wanted to do everything they could to prevent another one.”

“You gods have some weird logic up there,” Keith scoffed. Thunder rumbled in the sky at that comment, making the campers still at the dining pavilion look up curiously. 

“I think you angered Zeus.”

“Oh, you think?” Keith laughed. 

The two of them didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Every once in a while Hestia would poke at her fire. “I’m sorry this all had to be so political and complicated,” Hestia said after a while. “I really am proud of you. You did a great job and you have more greatness to come.”

“Thank you,” Keith said back, taking that compliment deeply. “Sorry for yelling at you. You’re one of the only people who’ve stuck around for me, and i’m glad you’re okay.”

“You have more people to stick around for you now,” Hestia responded. “New friends, rejoiced old friends, and Lance certainly isn’t going anywhere.”

Keith nodded, thinking of the new beginning he had at camp. Hestia was right; Keith had friends here, ones that wouldn't be going anywhere. This was his home, and these were his people. 

“That reminds me,” Hestia thought of. She held out her hand for Keith to see. In it was his old pendant with a new fire lit inside. Though the fire was new, everything else about the necklace was the same. The black metal around the orange flame was dented in all the right places, and the varying links in the chain keith had to repair through the years were still there. “This will work again, since i’m free and my fire is back.”

Keith looked at it for a few seconds, then put it around his neck to feel the familiar chain rub against his skin. The weight was familiar as well. Everything was so familiar, but something felt weird about it. He thought he’d be jumping with joy at getting the necklace back, but he wasn’t feeling happy about it. Then, he thought of something Chiron said back when they had first met, and he knew why the necklace felt so weird. 

\-----------------

After hesitating a few seconds, Keith knocked two times on the Aphrodite cabin door, which was made of a dark oak. The surrounding walls were light pink with matching wood window panels. It was a bit too preppy or Keith, but the cabin was pretty attractive compared to a lot of the other cabins. 

The door swung open quickly and a lavender fragrant hit Keith like a slap to the face. “Yes?” a girl asked in a sweet, flirty voice. When she saw that it was Keith standing there a wide smile appeared, revealing very nice teeth. The girl had wavy, brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were brown; the type of brown that becomes warm and lively in the sunlight. “Ooh, are you here for Lance?”

“Uh, yeah,” Keith said, a bit taken back by the girl in front of him. She was pretty in almost an intimidating way, just like Aphrodite was. 

“You know, it’s pretty late. What are you two gonna do all by yourselves, in the dark?” She asked, that smile turning into a grin. 

“I- we… uh…” 

“Leave him alone, Lisa,” A familiar voice called from inside the cabin. Lance gripped the door lisa was clutching and forced it open a bit more so he could squeeze through. “I’ll be back later,” he told his cabin as he pulled his jacket on. 

“Don’t stay out too long!” a different voice inside the cabin called out. 

“Thanks, mom,” Lance joked before the door shut. 

“Hi,” Keith said, the two of them being alone outside of the cabin. He was smiling a bit, as he found Lance’s family very entertaining. 

Lance exhaled a bit. “Hey, sorry about that. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, but Hestia told me a lot of stuff, some of it concerning you. I didn’t want to wait till tomorrow to tell you.” 

“Sounds good,” Lance said. “I know a place we can go.”

\---Lance’s P.O.V: 

“Your ‘place’ is a load of rocks?” Keith asked. 

“Hey, don’t insult my rocks. And they’re boulders by the way. A very nice load of boulders,” Lance snapped back. By the camp lake there was an area that overlooked the water. It was, as Keith put, a load of rocks. They were very comfortable, though, and were very good to sit on. It was great because it was secluded, but there weren’t any nature nymphs around, as there weren’t many plants around, but they still had a good view of camp and the lake. Lance took off his jacket and laid it out on the boulders. He sat in one of the indents and indicated for keith to sit next to him. 

Rolling his eyes, the boy complied. The rocks were pushing them together so that there shoulders were touching snuggly, which was warm in the cold spring air. “Hm, much more comfy than i first thought,” keith admitted. 

“See? It’s a nice load of boulders.”

“That it is.”

It was dark outside, and Lance could only make out the details of Keith’s face but not much of their surroundings. “So, what did hestia say?”

“Oh, yeah,” Keith was reminded. “What do you want to hear first? The stuff about you or the stuff about me?”

“I’ll be selfish and say the stuff about me,” Lance said. 

“Alright. Well, apparently our time together isn’t over. Quest wise, i mean. She said that we’ll need to get something to save camp sometime in the near future and that we need to be on the quest.”

Lance sighed, feeling a lot of different ways. “And here i thought i could have some time to relax.”

“I know,” Keith said, looking at the lake. 

“Did she tell you anything else about it? What do we need to get? When is this quest? How will we know when we need to go?”

“I don’t know, man. All she said is that camp will need ‘something’ and i don’t know what that is or when we need to get it.”

“I know we just got back from our big quest and both of us, especially you, almost died during it…. But is it wrong of me to say that i’m kind of excited for another quest?” Lance asked, feeling a bit of adrenaline mixed in with that annoyed feeling at the gods. 

“No, because i feel the same way,” Keith smirked. 

“Aw, it’ll be our first quest as an official couple,” lance said, smashing his face next to Keith’s.

“You are such a nerd,” Keith laughed out, pushing Lance away playfully. 

“Would that make it our honeymoon?”

“I guess. To our honeymoon!”

“To our honeymoon,” Lance repeated. The two laughed for a few more seconds, and Keith put an arm around Lance, who was now regretting taking off his coat because of the cold. “Oh, what did hestia say about you?”

“Well she wasn’t anymore specific,” Keith said. “She said she couldn’t tell me about my past, but that my father wanted/wants me to have a good life so he sent me on this quest or whatever. But i don’t even know which dad Hestia knew, and she wouldn’t tell me.”

“So, she basically just confused you more?”

“Mhm,” Keith said. “There was another thing, though. That quest we’re supposed to go on for camp, that’ll get me some answers to my past. The lady we’re supposed to go get the item from is named Nari and she lives in New Mexico. Those are the only details she gave me.”

“You have a new lead,” Lance said. “That’s good.”

“I mean, yeah, but look at how these other ‘leads’ turned out. Lecto was a dud, and even though i got a home and a boyfriend out of Camp Half Blood, it didn’t really give me the answers i was looking for,” Keith sighed. “I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”

“Well, you have me, and i’ll be with you to follow this lead, which is a real lead. It’ll work out.”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t know, but i like to have an optimistic attitude.” The two sat in silence for a bit longer. Lance’s head was on Keith’s shoulder and buried into his neck a bit. This was one of those memories and settings that stick with you. Even if you break up, it’s one of those things you think of years from now and cherish. “I know this is really late, but i just want to point out that you called me your boyfriend.”

“We admitted our reciprocated love while almost dying in a cave in florida. I think we’re at that point,” Keith joked. Lance smiled wide, amused by that. It was kind of a funny concept. A week ago the two of them were dealing with life or death situations and worst fears, and now they were going through typical teen phases. 

Deciding that the air was too cold and that they needed to share their warmth, Lance put his arm around Keith’s neck and pulled him down into a kiss. He ran his fingers through black, long hair as his lips moved with Keith’s. Sounds of crickets and wind were in the background of the moment, as if the world was roaring for them. Keith moved his hands to Lance’s waist, pulling him closer even though they were already nearly on top of eachother. 

With the two having no time restraints and no obligations, they stayed like that for a while, kissing on and off while cuddling in comfortable warmth and silence. “There was another thing,” Keith brought up after so much silence. He reached his his hand into his pocket to bring out a familiar glowing pendant. 

“Hestia fixed it for you?” Lance asked. 

“Yeah, which is great,” Keith said. “But… this thing connects me to my past. It represents how scared and untrusting i used to be, and i don’t think i want that connection anymore. But i think you should have it.”

“... What?” Lance asked, thinking back to how protective Keith used to be of the necklace. Lance wasn’t sure he was even taking in what Keith was saying. 

“Chiron told me that this necklace can only be passed down by love. It will only work if i give it to someone i love. And… I love you, Lance.”

Those words sent shocks down Lances spine. Keith hadn’t actually said those words straight out until now. The boy that kept running for seven years to avoid love was now admitting this. 

“This necklace represents my past, but it can represent a new start for you,” Keith brought up. “Remember, this necklace will make it so monsters can’t track you down. You can go home, Lance. You can live with your family again.”

Out of all the emotion and words he had in his head, he didn’t expect to speak these before any others. “I don’t want to leave you, though,” he whispered. 

“I’ll see you during the summer,” Keith pointed out. “And i can visit you and you can visit me. This camp is my new home, but you’ve been stuck here for too long.”

“But… you-”

“Lance, just take the necklace,” Keith said with nervous laughter. 

Lance looked Keith in the eye. He was willing to give Lance his necklace, even if that meant Lance not being around for months. “I love you,” Lance said, hoping those words had as big an impact on Keith as they had done on Lance. From the look on keith’s now wide smiling face, they did.

Keith poured the necklace into Lance’s open palm. Lance put the chain around his own neck, and the pendant glowed bright red, then turned back to orange, showing that the hand down was accepted. Lance, who was still honestly at a loss of words, kissed Keith again. 

As the world revolved around the two of them, the couple in love, Lance could only think one thing: how in the world was he so scared of this emotion?

\-------------------

“Is that Keith’s necklace? Why are you wearing that?” Hunk asked. He, Lance, Allura, and Pidge stole breakfast from the pavilion and were eating it by the lake. 

“It’s my necklace now,” Lance said. 

“That sounds very ominous,” Hunk commented. 

Pidge put her hand on Lance’s shoulder and had a fake serious look on her face. “Oh my Gods… Lance, did you kill Keith?”

“Uh, no. He gave it to me.” 

“Oh, that’s less cool than killing him,” Pidge said. 

“I think it’s cute,” Allura said. “You don’t seem too happy, though.”

“No, no, i am,” Lance reassured them. “Infact im still in denial about the fact that he actually gave me the necklace, which was basically his child for seven years, i’m just bummed at a choice i have to make because of it now.”

“Which is…” Hunk asked. 

Lance sighed deeply. “The only reason Keith survived out there for seven years was because of this necklace. It has hestia's flame in it, so it protects him from monsters and it makes sure they can’t track you. Now that i have this, i can go back home. I can be a summer camper and actually live with my family again. But i feel like that would be betraying Keith. I don’t want to leave him alone here, and wouldn’t it be kind of rude to just be like ‘wow, thanks for this amazing gift, i’m going to use it to get away from you.’?”

“Jeez, dude,” Pidge said. 

“I know. What should i do?”

“What does Keith think?” Hunk asked. 

“One of the whole reasons he gave the necklace to me was so that i could go be with my family,” Lance told them, “Amongst other reasons.” He decided to leave out all the ‘i love you’s and kisses on rocks; that was a memory just for Lance and Keith. 

“Then i say go,” Allura said. “You know you want to, and if Keith literally gave you the necklace and said ‘here, go see your family,’ i’d assume he’s okay with it.”

“Even if he’s okay with it, i still feel guilty,” Lance said. Allura was right, he wanted to see the people he loved more than anything, but he has a new person to love right here in camp.

“Well, don’t feel guilty,” Pidge said. 

“Gee, thanks for that great advise,” Lance deadpanned. “I just don’t know if i should leave or not. Maybe i’ll talk to Keith about it some more.”

“Atta sport,” Pidge said.

“Now that that’s all cleared up, we gotta talk about you wearing Keith’s stuff. You wore his shirt the other day, and now you got his necklace. You’re not one of those weird people who adopt the personality of whoever you’re dating, right?”

“Nah, baby, i’m 100% Lance.”

“Technically, you’re 100% Cuban and some amount of Aphrodite,” Pidge said. 

“Well that adds up to be 100% Lance.”

“More like 100% stupid,” Pidge said back. Hunk high fived her.

\------------------- 

“What do you think?” Lance asked Chiron. The two of them were in the Centaurs study in the Big house. Lance came to him to give him the rundown on what Hestia had told Keith. 

“I honestly don’t know, Lance,” Chiron said. He put his head in his hand and rubbed his forehead with a big sigh. “I can’t think of any item we’ve ever needed here at camp except the golden fleece, but that’s still working strong.”

“Maybe it’s a weapon of some sort?” Lance proposed. “Maybe camp will be threatened.”

“It very well could be,” Chiron said. “Prometheus's attempt for power could have inspired his brethren. It’s possible that another Titan will plan an attack.”

Lance sighed and plopped down on the wood chair in the study. “Great,” he said. “More titans.”

“We don’t know if that’s what it is,” Chiron reminded him. “Only time will tell. We’ll just keep a close eye out. The second we get more information, we’ll send out a quest.”

“So, does that mean i should stay at camp and wait? What if i leave for… some reason… and you get information? Or something like that,” Lance said, trying not to reveal the real reason he was asking. 

But, of course, this was Chiron. “You’re thinking of going back home, aren’t you?” he asked with a smile that looked both warm and sad. 

“How’d yo-”

“I can see the necklace glowing from under your shirt, and i know what it does.”

Lance relaxed more in his chair and avoided eye contact. “What should i do? Stay or go?”

“You can’t ask me that,” Chiron said. “I have a bit of a biased opinion.”

“Cmon, Chiron. I need wisdom.”

The mentor smiled a bit and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, fine. I think there’s something else in the equation that you’re not admitting.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean there’s something other than Keith that’s keeping you from going home. You’ve been hestitant to talk to and see your family even before Keith was in the equasion.”

“If there is, I don’t know what’s keeping me. I do want to go home, but whenever i think of getting in a car and going home i just… i don’t know.”

“Then do this: picture yourself going home. Image yourself in a car and going to a city. Imagine driving to your old apartment. Image you knocking on the door. Imagine them opening the door and you all hug each other. At what point does this feel bad or wrong?”

Lance sighed, closing his eyes and picturing it. He went through the motions, doing as Chiron instructed. As he went he felt fine, exited at seeing his family, and then he got to the point where they opened the door. He couldn’t get to the hugging part. 

“I… i think i’m scared they won’t want to see me,” Lance said, his voice filled with epitamy and sadness. “When i ran away, it was tough on them. Maybe they’ll still be mad or upset.”

“Lance, you know your family loves you,” Chiron said. 

“I know, i know, but there’s this nagging feeling that they don’t want to see me,” Lance complained. 

“Then why did they messange me three times while you were on your quest, asking if you were okay?”

“... They did?”

“They did,” Chiron confirmed. “You running away, it’s in the past, and they understand why you did it. They’ll be glad to have you back.” 

“And if i go and camp starts showing signs of being threatened… You’ll call me?”

“Well, i wouldn’t let you miss out on a quest,” Chiron said. He took out a few golden drachmas out of his sachel and handed it over to Lance. “Here. Go Iris messange your family. Ask them to come home, you’ll see.”

Lance closed his fingers around the coins, feeling and hearing them rattle in his fist. He sighed deeply. “Thanks, chiron. And… even if i go, i’ll still be around, you know. I’ll swing around for the holidays and i’ll be here for summer.”

“I’ve had you for four years,” Chiron said. “It’s time someone else had a share.”

\--Keith’s P.O.V: 

Shiro and Keith walked through camp together right after dinner that evening. Shiro had heled Keith move his stuff to the Hades cabin and now they didn’t have much to do except walk and talk. Keith filled his friend in on everything hestia said plus Keith giving his necklace to Lance. 

“You think i can go through a whole nother quest?” Keith asked. “Honestly, i don’t know if i can.”

“You can,” Shiro said. “You’re nothing if not ambitous.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see,” Keith said. 

“What about Lance?” Shiro asked, kicking a stone as they walked past the archery station. 

“What about him?”

“You good with him leaving?” Shiro asked, glancing over at Keith. 

“I’m the one who basically told him to leave,” Keith said. 

“That doesn’t mean you have to be happy about it.”

“It’s just… my whole biggest fear thing was that i was scared of love, but more specifically because i was scared of people leaving me so i’d push them away before they could get the change.”

“Yeah, i know,” Shiro said. “I experienced this first hand.”

“Well, what if me giving Lance the necklace was just me pushing him away? Maybe I didn’t want him to chose to leave me at some point, so i gave him an out now.” Keith picked a rock up off the path and chucked it into the lake they were passing.

“That’s bullshit,” Shiro said simply. 

“That’s one of the only times i’ve ever heard you curse,” Keith said, mildly impressed. 

“You guys got over your fears, or else you wouldn’t’ve been able to free Hestia. That stuff is in the past, so keep it in the past. You’re just phsyching yourself out because you’re sad that Lance is leaving and you don’t want to deal with it.”

Keith’s head felt like a mess. “The stuff doesn’t feel like it’s in the past, though. I’m worried i’m pushing him away or doing something wrong. I just… don’t know what i’m supposed to be doing with Lance.”

“Man, this is what relationshps feel like sometimes,” Shiro said. “But i think your problem is that you’re trying too hard to make it a relationship. You know Lance and you’re comftorabe around him. Stop thinking of him as your boyfriend and start thinking of him as just Lance, who you happen to be dating.”

“... You lost me.”

Shiro laughed. “What i’m saying is to forget about all the biggest fear stuff and just be with Lance. You guys are good together, and you know he cares about you and he knows you care about him, so don’t try so hard.”

“You should start a Doctor Phil type of show,” Keith said after thinking about how right Shiro was. “Get payed for all your life advise.”

“I’m already being payed with the wellbeing of my friends.”

“That was corny.”

Shiro took Keith in a headlock and gave him a loveable noogie, like a big brother would. “You bet it was.”

The two of them walked and talked for a bit more, mostly about how their weeks have been and about upcoming events at camp. Everyonce in a while Keith would pass a camper and they’d give him a small little smile instead of the passing glares he got before he left for his quest. It felt good. 

In the distance, Keith saw Lance walking back from the Camp lake. He spoted Keith and Shiro and waved, a wide grin on his face. Keith used to hate that stupid looking grin, but now it was one of his favorite sights. 

Keith looked up at shiro with an eyebrow raised. Shiro sighed. “Go on,” he said in a monotone voice. 

“You’re the best!” Keith called back to him as he ran to Lance. “Hey,” Keith said, catching up to the boy. 

“Hiyya,” Lance said back with that same grin. “You free to hang out?”

“Yeah, but i get to chose were this time.”

“Deal.”

Not too far away, the boys walked to half blood hill. Keith sat at the top and Lance followed. Thalias tree was close by, and the athena parthanos was in sight. Well, the entirety of camp was in sight. From that hill, you could see everything. The lake was in view, and so were the cabins. You could see people in the training area and eating dinner at the pavilion. 

“Why here?” Lance asked, though not complainingly. 

“A lot of stuff has happened to me here,” Keith explained. I got scratched by a gorgon over there. I passed out on this hill and you saved me-” 

“Getting blood on my favorite cardigan in the process,” Lance added, 

“That, too. I raised an arm of the dead here and every one hated me. And then i raised an even bigger army of the dead here, almost died in the process, and now everyone likes me. This hill just shows where i’ve been.” 

“A suprisingly sweet and poetic explanation from Keith,” Lance joked. 

“Hey, i can be poetic,” Keith said defensivley.

“When i reached deep into my heart and confesed my love to you, beautifly i may add, your response was litterally ‘me too’!” Lance laughed. 

“Okay, but then i gave a whole monolouge on some rocks about how you’re a new chapter in my life and you pulled me out of my past bla bla bla.”

“Alright, i’ll give you that,” Lance said. The two laughed and sat quietly for a while, until lance spoke up again. “So, uh, i just iris messaged my family. They said they’d love to have me home again,” he said, a small smile on his face. 

“That’s great,” keith said, genuinley happy for Lance. His heart did sink a bit, though, at the thought of him leaving. 

Lance might have sensed that bit of sadness in keith, as he sat a bit closer to him. “I’m not leaving till september though, so we still have a good few months.”

“What?” Keith asked. “I thought you’d be leaving soon.”

“And ditch you like that? Believe it or not, i actually like you and hanging out with you. Besides, you promised to go swimming with me, remember? We can’t just break that promise. You trying to get rid of me or something?” 

Keith smiled wide, looking at Lance’s face. Strange how far they’d come and how their relationship transformed so much, but thank the gods it did. “Not at all.” Keith put his arm around lances waist and pulled him even closer until their lips touched. The feeling Ketih got when they kissed, like some sort of mindblowing numbness, would never go away. At first, the kiss paralyzed him. He felt like he couldn’t move, but then his brain kicked in and they’d go in for more. Keith hadn’t kissed many people before, but he knew that that was what it was supposed to feel like. Correction: it was even better. 

“You’ll still visit me?” Ketih asked. 

“Of course,” Lance said. “Not that long of a car ride. We can iris message, too. Remember, i’ll still be here for summers. You might see too much of me, actually.”

“Don’t forget about that quest, as well,” Keith reminded him. “We’ll be spending lots of time together then. I’ll probably get sick of you,” He joked. 

“I’m already sick of you,” Lance joked back. 

The two of them lied down on the grass, their hand held inbetween them. They looked up at the sky, but Keith could still see Lances face. They talked about random things, and they could’ve talked all day. Keith then knew what Shiro meant. This was Lance, and Keith didn’t need to force himself into something, because he and Lance were good together.

Keith thought of the first time he saw Lance. He didn’t know what to think, but he knew he was different. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to pass him off like he did to most people. That felt like such a long time ago, but it was only less than a month ago. Less than a month ago a gorgon was raking her claws down keith’s back, which would weirdly be the start of something that would change Keith into an entirely differnet person. That was only less than a month ago. 

Keith leaned formard slightly off the ground, so he was looking down at Lance. The boy bellow him lifted his head up to meet Keith, and then they were kissing again, infront of the camp that had come to give Keith love and a home. Because it gave him Lance. 

“You know,” Lance said, looking Keith in the eye with the warmest smile ever plastered on his face, “Aphrodite told me that we’d be happy in the end. I know we have another big quest to go on, but to me this is the end. This is what she was talking about. We’re happy. Everything turned out okay, and we’re together.” 

Keith smilled back down at Lance. They were gorgeus together. He leaned down for another kiss, and they’d stay on their hill like that until the dark hours of the night. 

It wasn’t the end of their stories, but as long as they were together, they’d be happy. The end doesn’t matter.

Because they were together.

And together, they were happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -the end-  
> so, i have a lot to say about this fic and i can't fit it in here, so pls follow this link https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OmXRvUFBATVi3jqJx1uZpHqNyKs9ODmKJOSP8vN6Uno/edit?usp=sharing (if the links not working, copy and paste it into google) to read my rambling. I loved writing this so much and i can't wait to write the sequal! (yes, there is a sequal).
> 
> Like i say every chapter, please tell me what you thought of this story as a whole or just this chapter. Comments mean so so so much to me and just a few words from you would make my day. Leave kudos and please subscribe to my ao3 account so you don't miss the second fic of this story and follow my tumblr as well (Lanceisthebest).
> 
> Thank you all for following me through this story, i love each and every one of you. This has been a pleasure to write and i'm so sad it's over, but i'm also very proud. To next time!


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